The Simple Things
by SSDgirl24
Summary: Shane relies on her loving husband Oliver when something happens to their daughter and she has a conflict.
1. Chapter 1

The Simple Things

 **I don't own any of the Signed Sealed Delivered characters. They are Martha Williamson's beautiful creations. This is my first work of fanfiction that I have posted so I hope the POstables like it. Please review if you would like because I would love the feedback - especially for my first time. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1:

As the sun filtered in through the window Shane slowly awoke to the electric sensation of Oliver's lips on hers. He didn't usually wake her up like this. He usually preferred a kiss on the cheek or a brush of her hair. Shane sat upright in an instant. "Oliver what's wrong?"  
"Shhh shhh" whispered Oliver. He put his finger on her lips, tucked her hair behind her ear, and leaned in and kissed her again.

"Oliver what's gotten into you?"

"I love you. And today we are doing absolutely nothing except staying in."

"Oh, that sounds nice Oliver." Shane sighed. "We've been so busy at work lately, I could really use a day..." And with that Oliver leaned in again and covered Shane's lips with his own."Oliver..." Shane wanted to say something, but was speechless. Oliver just took her breath away.

"Okay, okay I'm getting up. I'm going to make you breakfast," Oliver stated with pride.

"Awe that's sweet Oliver, but I'll help you. We'll dance around the kitchen as we make it."

"Do you even know how beautiful you are... Mrs. O'Toole?"

"You could show me Mr. O'Toole." Oliver pulled Shane out of bed and threw her into a dip. As she rose she pulled his white t-shirt and his lips into her. "Whooo I think I need a Yoohoo," Shane sighed.

"That can be arranged. Allow me to lead you to the kitchen my love." Shane took Oliver's hand and they went to the kitchen to make Oliver's blueberry oatmeal and Shane's blueberry waffles. Shane usually liked oatmeal too but Oliver wanted to surprise her this morning. It was an unusual morning after all. Their 2 year old daughter Savannah hadn't woken up yet. "Mrs. O'Toole I am making you blueberry waffles. Would you still like a Yoohoo?" Shane thought it was funny that Oliver had taken her seriously. She didn't really think Yoohoo sounded very appetizing first thing in the morning. Shane chuckled before saying, "No thank you Mr. O'Toole. I'm going to have my morning coffee, and I'll make you your oatmeal."

"Mrs. O'Toole I want you to sit at that table and relax. I am in charge of breakfast today. I will make your coffee and your waffles and then I will make my oatmeal."

"Oliver how can we dance around the kitchen together if you banish me to the table?" Shane said slyly. "I will make your breakfast and you will make mine and we'll see who's the better cook." Oliver just gave her a look. This morning's breakfast wasn't meant to be a cook off challenge, but he couldn't resist his wife's smile with that playful glimmer in her eyes. Oliver prepared the coffee maker to start brewing his wife's coffee. Oliver didn't like to drink coffee except on occasion. Shane had always drank coffee a little more often than him, and now that she was a mom she _really_ relied on it. Shane was in the corner of the kitchen reaching up to get a bowl and Oliver decided he needed to get a plate at the exact same time. He put a gentle hand on her waist and reached up and got a bowl for her. Then before he got his plate he pulled her in close and planted a kiss on her cheek. Shane turned to him and just as their lips were about to touch they heard a crash and a scream. Shane raced over to the staircase and the next few moments went by in a blur. In a heartbeat Oliver was at the bottom of the stairs beside his wife. Laying at the bottom of the stairs was Savannah, absolutely wailing. Her right eye was already starting to turn black, her nose was bleeding, and she could barely move her right arm. Anytime Shane touched it to hold her, she wailed in pain. Shane looked up at Oliver terrified. He ran into the downstairs bathroom and brought some tissues for her bloody nose. Then he ran to the freezer to get an ice pack for her eye. Oliver held the ice pack wrapped in paper towel, so it wouldn't be too cold, against Savannah's eye. Shane just sat there at the bottom of the stairs holding Savannah and kissing her head. She spoke softly to her like a lullaby, trying to get Savannah to take some deep breaths. Oliver could tell Shane was terrified, but was trying to keep it together for Savannah's sake. Oliver was trying to hold it together too. Shane looked at Oliver and said "She must have climbed out of her crib, but how did she get past the baby gate?"

"Oh... we must not have latched it all the way when we came downstairs, since we were... distracted."

"We couldn't have Oliver!" Shane burst into tears at the thought that she could be the cause of her daughter's pain and injuries. She couldn't bear to think that this was her and Oliver's fault. Oliver didn't know what to do with both of his girls sobbing. He wanted to take Savannah to help Shane, but he knew that as a mom the last thing she wanted right now was to stop holding her daughter. Shane picked up Savannah and carried her to the couch so they would both be more comfortable. Oliver went up the stairs and latched the baby gate completely, then came back down with the ice pack and sat on the couch next to Shane with a still slightly whimpering Savannah in her lap. He put his arm around Shane and kissed her head. Shane leaned into his side a little. Oliver put the ice pack back on Savannah's eye and she shivered a little. Shane rubbed her hair to keep her calm. Luckily her nose had stopped bleeding. Shane said to her in a soothing voice, "Tell mommy where it hurts sweetheart." Savannah pointed to her right arm that had swollen greatly in the last few minutes. "Oliver look at her arm!" Shane was so taken aback by how swollen it was that she forgot to stay calm for Savannah's sake. Savannah looked up at her mommy and started crying again. Her mommy's alarmed tone had scared her all over. "Bad mommy?"

"Oh no sweetheart you'll be okay. Don't be scared." Shane glanced at Oliver with a "what do we do now" kind of look. Oliver leaned over and touched Savannah's arm gently. She didn't flinch. Then he tried to pick her arm up and she screamed. Oliver looked over at Shane and said "I think her arm is broken Shane." Shane became all flustered. Her eyes started to well up. Her baby was hurt and she didn't know what to do. "We have to take her to the emergency room Oliver."

"Yes. We will. I will pack some things and then we will go right away."

"Oh, Oliver. I'm supposed to meet Rita in a few hours at the adoption agency. I still have to drive all the way up there. There's no way I can be there for Rita and wait in the waiting room at the hospital with Savannah." Shane started to panic. "Oliver what am I going to do?" At this point Shane was up and pacing and Savannah was still laying on the couch. Oliver propped her arm up on a pillow and laid the ice pack on it to lessen the swelling. "Be still sweetheart, okay?" Savannah nodded. Now that Savannah was settled Oliver walked over to Shane and wrapped her up in his arms. "Shhh shhh Shane." Shane was crying so hard she was shaking. She cried into Oliver's shoulder as he stroked her hair and rubbed her back. Oliver whispered in her ear, "Shane, it's okay. Everything will be okay."

"Oliver, our baby is hurt. It's her first broken bone and I can't be with her. She's in so much pain." Oliver tightened his grip on Shane and swayed her back and forth.

"Shane listen to me. You have to breathe. Lean into me and let me take the pain away." Shane breathed in and sighed. Her loving husband always knew what to say. Shane closed her eyes and breathed in Oliver's aftershave. The world started to melt, but then Oliver spoke again bringing her back to the horrible reality. "Shane I will take Savannah to the emergency room and you will go to be with Rita. You're right, you have to be there with Rita since Norman is stuck in D.C. at the stamp convention. She needs you."

"Oliver, my baby needs me."

"Shane listen to me. I have everything under control. Rita needs you as well. This is their first adopted child and you promised you would be there for moral support. I promise you I will take care of our little one. I will handle everything. I won't leave her side." Shane listened to Oliver's sincere words and felt genuinely blessed that she got to call this man her husband and the father of her daughter. She knew Oliver would take great care of Savannah, but that didn't make leaving her any easier. But deep down Shane knew Savannah would be okay. She had always been a daddy's girl. And Shane couldn't let Rita go through adoption alone. She had to keep her promise to her best friend. Rita was already totally upset that that Norman's flight got canceled due to engine difficulties and he couldn't be there to meet their new daughter. Shane sighed. "Okay Oliver. You will take Savannah to the emergency room yourself and I will drive down to meet Rita. But promise you'll send me updates and pictures when she gets a cast. I need to make sure she's okay." Shane had gotten Oliver a cell phone as a wedding present a few years ago when they got married. She couldn't have her husband not able to reach her when they were apart. It took Oliver a while to learn how to use it, but his lovely wife was a great teacher.

"Yes, my love. I promise I will keep you updated. She will be fine. She is a tough little one."

"I know. But please, keep her comfortable."

"Honey why are you still worried? I have everything under control." Shane started tearing up again.

"It's just, she's never been without me when she's needed me. I've never been without…" Shane broke down into tears again.

"Shane, look at me. I love you and I love our little girl with all my heart. I am going to do everything I can to make this as easy as possible on both of you. Now come here. Let's stop these tears so we can both leave." Shane wrapped her arms around Oliver's neck and kissed his cheek. He rubbed her back as he hugged her. Shane pulled away and looked at her husband with a look of pure gratitude. Oliver gently stroked her face as he wiped away her tears. As their eyes met Oliver knew what he needed to do. He leaned in and kissed Shane passionately. His eyes caressed her face as he said, "I love you Shane. Go be with Rita. Drive safely and I will see you later tonight." Oliver thought Shane might cry again, but she held it together. A wave of nausea washed over Shane. _The thought of leaving my little girl must be making me feel sick,_ Shane thought.

"I love you so much Oliver. Thank you. Drive safe." Shane kissed her husband on the cheek and went back in the living room where Savannah was asleep on the couch with the ice pack still on her arm. Shane really wanted to say goodbye to her little girl, but she didn't want to wake her up. She had been through enough already and had more pain ahead of her. So instead Shane stroked her hair, kissed her head, and whispered "Mommy loves you. I have to go be with Aunt Rita right now, but daddy is going to take good care of you. The nice doctors are going to patch you right up and make your arm feel better okay? You be brave for mommy and daddy and I will see you later sweetheart. I love you." Shane realized she wasn't sure if she was saying all that for Savnnah's sake or hers. She went out the laundry room and into the garage to leave. She never knew that Oliver had been standing in the archway of the living room watching his two beautiful girls. Oliver went to the window and watched Shane's car pull out of the driveway. Shane didn't see it, but he blew her a kiss as he said a silent prayer for her safety. She had just been so emotional lately. He prayed she would be okay without him. Oliver went upstairs to pack Savannah's favorite stuffed owl that Rita had given to her for her 2nd birthday and anything else he thought they might need.


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own any of the SSD characters as they belong to Martha Williamson. Enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 2:

 **Shane:**

Shane drove along the highway trying to focus on the road. She couldn't stop thinking about Savannah and Oliver. She prayed out loud in the car. "Dear God, please protect my family. Let Savannah be in as little pain as possible. Help Oliver remember her stuffed owl to comfort her, and please let them return safely and peacefully from the hospital. Amen." It was a simple prayer, but Shane still wasn't as good at praying as Oliver. He always told her that God doesn't judge how you pray, He's just glad to hear from you. Oliver always told her to talk to God like how she would talk to anyone else too. That's all she knew how to do, so that's what she did. She didn't know how to be profound like Oliver. But she was soon taken out of her thoughts because all of a sudden the objects outside the windshield started to blur. Shane couldn't tell if she was crying or if it was raining, but when she heard the thunder, she knew it was both. Luckily she was pulling into the adoption agency parking lot at the exact same time. She saw Rita's car parked a few spaces over. Today Rita was a adopting a 5 year old girl from Japan. Shane didn't bother rushing inside. She didn't have the energy in her to try to avoid the rain. By the time she had walked the short distance to the door, she was soaked.

 **Oliver:**

Oliver had a tote bag packed full of things that might be needed at the hospital; snacks Savannah liked (since she's a picky eater like him), water bottles, Savannah's stuffed owl. Oliver even packed one of Shane's gym shirts because when Savannah got her cast, her arm wouldn't fit in her tiny sleeves anymore. Shane's shirt would definitely look like a huge dress on her tiny figure, but it was the best he could do. Oliver tiptoed downstairs with the tote bag - Shane's tote bag. He liked having it with him. He walked into the living room and gently rubbed Savannah's hair. She didn't wake up. She was a deep sleeper like her mom. Oliver loved that Savannah had a combination of both his and Shane's personalities. She was the spitting image of her mom though, her wavy blonde hair framed her face as she slept. Shane called her a daddy's girl. Oliver certainly didn't mind that. Savannah had always wanted him to hold her when she was a baby. And she always wanted Oliver to be the grizzly bear in their bedtime stories instead of Shane. Oliver chuckled at that as he rubbed Savannah's back to wake her up. Savannah's eyes fluttered and she tried to raise her arm to rub her eyes until she remembered it was hurt. She started to cry again. Oliver picked her up and cradled her in his arms. "Come here sweetheart, daddy's got you. It's okay."

"Daddy where we go?" Savannah asked through tears.

"We are going to see Dr. Smiley," Oliver replied. The doctor's name was actually Dr. Similee, but when Savannah saw him when she got the flu she called him Dr. Smiley and it just stuck. He made all his patients call him Dr. Smiley now. Savannah cheered right up at the sound of that. "Dr. Smiley, yay!" Oliver carried her outside, strapped her in her carseat, set the tote bag in the passenger seat, and buckled himself up. He briefly glanced over at the passenger seat wishing Shane filled it instead of just her tote bag. He missed her and he was worried about her.

 **Shane:**

Shane spotted Rita in the waiting room in a big red armchair. Her cheeks were red and she looked as if she had been crying. Shane pulled Rita out of her thoughts. "Rita, are you okay?"

"Hi Shane… oh. What happened to you?"

"Oh it's just raining. I didn't have an umbrella."

"Shane you look like you've been crying."

"Well so do you Rita," Shane replied a little too snarky, causing her to regret it immediately. "I'm sorry Rita. I'm just stressed and worried. Savannah broke her arm just before I left. Oliver should be at the hospital with her right now."

"Oh Shane, I hope she's okay. I'm sorry." Rita pulled Shane in for a hug that it seemed they both needed. "Thank you for coming Shane. I have been crying too actually. I just miss Norman and wish he could be here for this. It's a milestone in our life that he won't be here for and get to experience with me."

"Rita, I'm sorry Norman isn't here. But I am here for you. You just have to trust the timing. Norman wishes he could be here but God just has a different plan for him. When Norman gets here, he will love your new daughter as if he _did_ look at her with you the moment she arrived."

"Thank you Shane," was all Rita could muster. Just then a woman in the hallway called Rita's name. "Rita Dorman?" Rita walked up to a short brunette with chin length hair and bright red glasses. She appeared to be in her mid forties. Her name tag read Mrs. Sprouts. She had been the agent helping Rita and Norman along the adoption process.

"Hello Mrs. Sprouts. All the papers are signed right? Unfortunately Norman couldn't be here today. His flight got canceled at the last minute. But I have my best friend Shane here with me instead." Rita gestured towards Shane who stepped forward and shook Mrs. Sprout's hand.

"Shane O'Toole. Hello."

"Hello Mrs. O'Toole. Glad you could come for Rita. She is going to be an amazing adoptive mother." Rita's cheeks turned a bright pink. "Thank you Mrs. Sprouts."

"All the papers are signed Rita. She is waiting back there for you. I will bring her out."

Rita waited excitedly at the end of the hall for Mrs. Sprouts to return with her little girl. Shane stood off to the side staring at her phone. Rita didn't know why she wasn't paying attention. A few minutes later Mrs. Sprouts brought out a small girl with shiny black hair, velvet brown eyes, and the cutest little toothy grin you'd ever seen. Rita beamed as she crouched down and hugged the girl, crying while she did so. It had taken her and Norman three years to get this adoption finalized. Shane stood behind Rita and said "Norman, can you see?"

Norman stuttered through tears, "Yes, I can see. Hello Caroline. I'm Norman - your new dad." Rita looked up to see her husband's face on Shane's cell phone.

"Norman!" Rita picked up Caroline so she could see her new dad's face. "Say hi to daddy Caroline," Rita said as she waved with Caroline to Norman. "That's daddy Norman and I'm mommy Rita." Caroline was still a little shy but she kept waving her hand excitedly at Norman's small face on the screen. "Norman and Rita," Caroline shouted.

"Yes that's right!" Rita exclaimed. She squeezed her new daughter. "And Caroline, this beautiful lady is your Aunt Shane. You get to be a big cousin to her daughter Savannah."

"Hi Caroline," Shane said as she smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you." Shane handed her phone over to Rita so she could talk to Norman. She looked over at Rita holding her new daughter and a sense of longing filled her heart. She wished her own daughter was in her arms.

 **Oliver:**

Oliver pulled into the hospital parking lot and carried Savannah into the emergency room. Not too long after they checked in, Dr. Smiley called them back. Oliver gently set Savannah down on the squishy doctor's table covered in crinkly white paper. "Well hello again little Savannah. I heard you took a tumble and hurt your arm. Let's take a look." Dr. Smiley had informed Oliver that in order to get proper x-rays he was going to have to move Savannah's arm in a way that might hurt. Oliver understood, but became much more nervous. He decided to call Shane.

 **Shane:**

Back at the adoption agency Shane's phone started to ring in Rita's hand during her FaceTime call with Norman. "Oh, Norman, Shane's phone is ringing. I have to go. Say bye Caroline."

"Bye Norman," squealed Caroline.

"Bye Norman, I love you," Rita added.

"Goodbye. I love you both!" Norman waved and blew Rita and Caroline a kiss. Rita hung up and handed Shane her phone. It had already stopped ringing, but Rita told Shane that Oliver had called and Shane saw the recent call in her notifications. Shane immediately clicked Oliver's number in the "favorites" section of her contacts. "Oliver what's wrong? What's going on?" Shane said in a panicked tone.

"Shane breathe sweetheart, everything is fine. I just wanted to tell you that Dr. Smiley has to move Savannah's arm in order to get the x-rays. But everything is fine. I will keep you updated okay? I love you."

"Yes, okay Oliver. I love you too. Drive safely, and tell Savannah I love her. Bye." Shane hung up abruptly because she just couldn't bear to let Oliver hear her cry again. Rita came over with Caroline and put a hand on Shane's back. "Is everything okay Shane? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, Rita it's okay. But I don't feel well and I want to start heading home so I can see Oliver and Savannah. I need to stop to eat something too. I haven't eaten all day. Will you and Caroline be okay if I go?"

"Yes, go Shane. We'll be fine. Thank you for coming." Rita hugged Shane while holding Caroline. Caroline said "Bye Aunt Shane. Don't cry."

"Bye sweet pea. Aunt Shane will see you soon," Shane replied. Shane ran back out to her car as the tears started flowing more heavily. Shane missed her baby and husband something fierce. She couldn't stop thinking about what Oliver had said. Savannah must have been in so much pain and she hadn't been there. Shane wept all alone in her car. She felt like such a failed mother. She had to get home to her family. But first, she needed some serious, serious chocolate and a skinny vanilla latte so she didn't pass out on the highway. But then again maybe it wasn't a good idea to have coffee.


	3. Chapter 3

**Anything you recognize I don't own. Hope you enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 3:

 **Shane:**

The rain was coming down hard as Shane pulled into the Donatello's parking lot. She had wanted to go to the Mailbox Grille, but she couldn't risk it being a day Ramon was there, as he split his time between there, Bistro Ramon, and Chez Ramon. She was so not in the mood for him right now. She was once again soaked to the bone by the time she walked in. Her hair was frizzing up in every direction and her mascara was running from crying. Caitlin didn't seem to notice Shane's atrocious appearance as she greeted her when she walked in. "Shane, what a lovely surprise! It's really coming down out there isn't it? How is your little one, and Oliver? Oh, here, you can follow me right this way please." Caitlin showed Shane to a little private booth in the corner. It was close to the one her and Oliver always sat at when they came there together.

"Hi Caitlin," Shane said exasperated and exhausted. "Oliver is good. He is his same Oliver O'Toolely self that I love and adore. But Savannah broke her arm this morning so they are at the hospital right now."

"Oh Shane, I'm so sorry. I will pray that she heals fast and soon." Shane was about to say thank you when her phone buzzed. Caitlin politely excused herself to let Shane check her phone. Shane pulled her phone out of her coat pocket to see a text from Oliver. She smiled at the thought of her human antique husband sending her a text. She still wasn't used to seeing his name on the screen. The text read: _I love you Shane. Savannah just got her soft cast on. She has to wear it for three weeks and then they'll put the hard cast on. The hard cast is the one people can sign. I have to sign some forms and then we're heading home. I'll let you know when we get there. Breathe my love. I'll see you soon. I love you. Love, Oliver._ Shane laughed to herself at Oliver's closing. He wrote texts like he wrote letters and it was adorable. She knew her husband would never be one to use an "LOL" or "OMG." He valued the written word. It was honestly a miracle that she convinced him to text at all, but she knew she had that effect on him. What did Oliver call it... brazenly manipulative? She also loved that she and Oliver agreed that calling or texting, their first and last words would be some form of "I love you." The giddiness she felt each time he typed or said those words to her never went away. Shane thought, _even when we're old, it will be young love._ Shane typed back: _I love you Oliver. I can't wait to see you both. I would invite you to come meet me at Donatello's, but I think Savannah should get home to rest. She's had a long day. I love you both and thank you so very much for all you've done today Oliver. See you soon. I love you._ Oliver hadn't attached a picture of Savannah's cast, but Shane knew he was still getting the hang of how to do that. As she put her cell phone back in her pocket, a waiter came and took her order. She got her usual fettuccine alfredo, but instead of her usual martini to drink with it, she got a lemonade instead. _Just to be safe,_ she thought.

 **Oliver:**

Meanwhile, back at the hospital Oliver was reading his wife's text. He remembered their breakfast plans - he never got to make her blueberry waffles. Then he remembered he had left the coffee maker on too. Luckily it automatically stopped brewing when it was done, but Oliver was still mad at himself. He hated coming home to a mess. He refocused on getting Savannah into Shane's gym shirt. When he finally got her to stop squirming so he could get her cast through the armhole of her tiny dress, _his_ arm hurt. Luckily he was right in his decision, and Shane's large gym shirt slipped right over her cast in an instant. He picked up the tote bag and Savannah and set her on the floor. He took her tiny hand and they went out to the waiting room. Savannah went to play and Oliver went to the front desk to fill out those forms. When he finished, with his hand worn out from all the signing, he handed the clipboard and the pen back to the blonde secretary and turned around to find Savannah, sitting on the floor playing with the wooden blocks in the waiting room. He scooped her up and kissed her cheek. "That's a good tower you made there, but let's get you home okay?" Oliver couldn't help but think about all the germs Savannah just touched on those blocks. He shuddered.

"Yes daddy. Home," Savannah replied. Oliver carried Savannah back out to the car being cautious around her arm. Dr. Smiley said that for the first few days, even with the cast and sling, any sudden movement of her arm would make it sore. He set her down gently in her carseat and strapped her in. She still seemed to be in good spirits as she smiled up at him from her carseat, but her eyelids were getting heavy and he could tell that she was getting tired. He put Shane's tote bag back in the passenger seat, buckled up, and headed home with his little angel falling asleep in the back.

 **Shane:**

Joey brought Shane's food out to her. She almost didn't see him set her plate down in front of her as she daydreamed while looking out the window at the rain. "Shane, would you like extra cheese?" Joey pulled Shane back into reality.

"Sure. Thank you Joey," Shane said. Joey turned the cheese grater over Shane's plate of sauce covered noodles. "Caitlin told me about Savannah. Tell her I said to get well soon."

"Thank you Joey, I will." Joey picked up the tray and left Shane alone to eat her meal. Shane was so hungry and ate so fast, that she barely tasted her food. She finished her meal rather quickly, left a generous tip like she always did for Caitlin and Joey and their employees, and put on her coat to leave. Shane soon realized she had "conveniently" left Donatello's right in the middle of rush hour and it was still pouring rain. Obviously she was exhausted because she always planned to _avoid_ rush hour. But then again, today had been a chaotic roller coaster, so not much of anything had been planned. _The day really can't get any worse,_ Shane thought. Shane hated driving in rush hour, but she thought she might as well start the trek home. She yearned to hold her baby girl and be in Oliver's arms so much, that rush hour just didn't seem to matter anymore.

 **Oliver:**

Oliver pulled in the driveway and hit the button to open the garage so he could park inside. He shut the car off and opened Savannah's car door to find her sound asleep in Shane's gym shirt. He gently unbuckled her and cautiously lifted her up so he didn't wake her or hurt her arm. He went around the front of the car and grabbed Shane's tote bag and then carried Savannah up the steps and into their home. He walked into the living room and laid her down on the couch. He pulled Hooty the owl out of the bag and laid him next to her. Then Oliver went to the kitchen, poured out the old coffee from that morning and set to scrubbing the coffee maker in the sink. He didn't want the kitchen to smell like expired coffee and he didn't want Shane to have to worry about it when she got home. _In fact,_ he thought, _I'll clean the whole kitchen for Shane_. Oliver put on a record and got to work.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own any of the SSD characters. The song referenced is by Billy Joel even though not always stated. As always - hope you enjoy and please review!**

Chapter 4:

By the time Shane got home it was almost 10:00 at night. Oliver heard the garage opening and sighed with relief that his wife had made it home safely. Shane came in the front door and heard "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel playing softly throughout the house. She expected Oliver to jump out and wrap her in his arms - or maybe that's just what she wished. She set her keys in the bowl on the entry table and set her purse down on the kitchen counter. She walked into the living room and found Savannah will her little beige cast on her arm, curled up and asleep on Oliver's lap. She was wearing her turquoise gym shirt and looked better in it than she did, Shane thought. She smiled at the sight of her daughter. Seeing that Oliver couldn't get up, Shane settled herself on the couch cushion next to Oliver and rested her head against his shoulder. Oliver turned to Shane and kissed her head. "I was playing our song to lull her to sleep and it worked. It was one of her favorite lullabies when she was first born," Oliver said matter of factly. "I thought you would like to say goodnight and then I'll tuck her in. I helped her brush her teeth before she fell asleep so we're all set. Then we'll talk and… cuddle my love." Shane melted every time he spoke those words. _My love_ , she still couldn't believe that a miracle from God let her cross paths with Oliver - the love of her life. Shane sighed and kissed Savannah's forehead. "I love you sweetheart. Mommy will see you in the morning, sweet dreams." Oliver gave his wife a sympathetic look. He knew she had wanted to talk to Savannah and see her okay before she fell asleep. Oliver touched Shane's hand with his own before picking up Savannah and carrying her upstairs to her little pink bedroom. He hoped that until he came back, that subtle touch would be enough to comfort his wife.

Oliver laid Savannah in her crib and put her owl next to her. Oliver didn't want to wake Savannah up to change her into pajamas so he just let her sleep in Shane's gym shirt. She looked adorable, and comfortable anyway. He couldn't get over how much she looked like a little mini Shane. He thought to himself; _she looks just like her mom, so how am I ever going to be able to say no to her? That's just what I need too - another brazenly manipulative woman in this house._ Oliver chuckled quietly to himself and pulled the soft yellow blanket that Shane's mom had knitted over her little legs. He leaned down and kissed her forehead and whispered "Daddy is so proud of you for being brave today angel. I love you precious. You and your mom are the best things to ever grace my life. Now you sleep well and remember to be really nice to mommy tomorrow, okay? She's had a rough day." Oliver kissed her cheek, turned out the light, and tiptoed downstairs.

"And So It Goes" had ended. Shane was sitting on the couch with her legs tucked under herself, deep in thought. She didn't hear Oliver come downstairs. "Stand up," Oliver gently ordered. Shane jumped and looked at him quizzically. "Stand up, come here," Oliver beckoned Shane with outstretched arms. Shane got up, walked over, and let herself melt into Oliver. She was so exhausted and Oliver knew it. He knew she just needed him to hold her and soothe her, and that was easier to do standing up. Her head rested on his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Oliver's arms were wrapped around her waist as he rubbed her back and hair. He could feel Shane releasing the tension that was built up in her body from the long, exhausting day. He could hear her crying into his shoulder. She was soaking his plaid shirt (the blue and brown one that she particularly liked on him), but of course that didn't matter to him. She could soak him down to the bone and he wouldn't let go. "Shhhh shhhh shhhh. Shhhh shhhh shhhh," Oliver whispered as he swayed his wife back and forth. He pulled her in as tight as possible.

"Oliver was she in a lot of pain?" Shane broke the silence.

"Shane do you want the truth or do you want me to tell you what you want to hear. I don't want to upset you anymore. You need to relax."

"Oliver they hurt her didn't they?" Shane started to get angry - at herself, at the doctors, even at God for letting this happen to her little girl.

"My love, you are not making this easy on yourself. Savannah was in a lot of pain, but you already knew that. Honestly sweetheart, I'm glad you weren't there because it was hard to watch one of my girls in pain, let alone if both of you were there. The doctors weren't trying to hurt her Shane. They were just doing their job so they could help her. No x-rays meant no cast. They had to reposition her arm. But after they put the cast on they gave her a balloon and a lollipop and a sticker. She forgot all about what had just happened. So don't be mad at the doctors love." Shane sighed a breath of relief and Oliver felt her loosen up a bit more. "You didn't want me there Oliver?"

"Sweetheart listen to me. You weren't there because you weren't meant to be there. Maybe because it would have been too hard on me, or you. But you were meant to be with Rita today and we'll never know God's full reasoning for that, but you did another great thing today. You witnessed a beautiful little girl finally getting a loving forever family that she deserves. You were there for Rita. I am so proud of you. Savannah is okay and we were a team and that's all that matters. Okay?"

"Yes, Oliver you're right - as always. I'm sorry I got angry, I didn't mean to take anything out on anyone. I love you so much Oliver. You always say the right thing, thank you." Shane closed her eyes and let the tears fall. But this time they were happy tears. Tears of joy and gratitude that she was blessed with the most loving husband in the world. Oliver held her tighter and continued to rock her in his arms. When he felt Shane stop crying he pulled back and looked at Shane with all the tenderness in the world. He stroked her red tear stained cheeks with his thumbs. He brushed her hair behind her ears and put his hands on her back, pulled her into him, and kissed her while the whole world melted away. Shane's knees almost gave out underneath her. Oliver could _kiss_ and he always knew the perfect moment to make her forget her worries with one. Oliver released their lips and pulled her back into him. He could tell she wasn't ready to let go.

"Oliver… thank you."

"For what my dear Shane?"

"For not letting go and for… for loving me." Shane began to sob overwhelmingly. "Thank you for loving me Oliver." Shane cried.

"Shane come here." Oliver wrapped Shane tighter in his arms. "Shane Allison O'Toole I love you with all of my heart. I will never let go of you until you tell me too, and you don't ever, _ever_ have to thank me for loving you. That is something I will do forever, no matter what." Shane let out a sob as she stroked Oliver's soft hair. Shane didn't know what to say so she just said, "Oliver can we sit on the couch now? My feet are killing me." Oliver glanced down and realized Shane was still in her heels. She was so exhausted she forgot to take them off. She had even been sitting on the couch with them. Normally Oliver would have been a little upset at shoes on the couch, but he could never be upset at his wife - especially now.

"I have a better idea. You go take those shoes off and take a nice warm bath that I'm about to prepare for you, and then we'll put our pajamas on and sit in bed and talk. Okay my love? You've had a hard day, I want you to relax. I know we usually dance, but you're tired so we'll skip that tonight, okay?"

"Oliver, that sounds heavenly. You are…" Shane didn't get to finish before the breath was sucked out of her as Oliver kissed her. Oliver whispered in his sultry voice "I love you Mrs. O'Toole." Shane blushed and just about melted. She looked up at Oliver with a goofy grin and kissed him again. "Oliver, you are so handsome… I mean amazing. So amazing." Shane didn't know why she felt embarrassed to call him handsome - he was her husband after all. But she knew she would never get used to it. She had only been able to think it for so long, that saying it would probably make her blush and squeal inside forever. "Thank you for everything Oliver. I love you so much." And to tease Oliver before he could kiss her again, Shane slipped off her heels and ran upstairs. She went into the master closet and picked a floral blue tank top and a matching pair of pajama shorts for after her bath. Oliver went upstairs after her and got Shane everything she would need for her bath out of the hall closet. He filled the tub with hot water, added the bubble bath mixture, and draped the fuzzy robe he bought her as a wedding gift a few years ago over the side of the tub. It had her new initials stitched in a light lavender color at the top. Then he turned on the underwater jets for his wife too. Oliver walked into the closet and wrapped his arms around Shane's waist from behind. Shane jumped. He kissed her cheek and whispered in her ear "It's really hot just like you...like it. The bubble bath mixture has been added and the jets are turned on too. I love you sweetheart - enjoy."

"Thank you Oliver," Shane replied flirtatiously. She took a nice long bubble bath and then joined Oliver in their bed. They both sat against the headboard with Oliver's arm around Shane's shoulders. Olive spoke first once his wife was settled next to him. "I remembered Savannah's owl. I packed it and I used it to distract her while the doctor's were moving her arm. I held her good hand the whole time and Hooty helped too. I just wanted you to know that even when she was in pain we were both strong and she was okay. And just like I promised you - I handled everything." By now it was midnight and Shane was tired. Before she found her words she kissed Oliver's cheek.

"Oliver I know I was upset, but I never doubted you. You have never once broken a promise to me. I'm glad you're both okay and I am so grateful for you Oliver. I prayed you would remember Hooty." Shane laughed. "I love you. You are okay right? You're here for me Oliver, but I'm here for you too."

"I know that my love. But you and Savannah will always be my number one priority. I know how hard this was on you. And I will never break a promise to you. I love you and I am okay. I don't want you to worry about me. Oh, I packed all the stuff in that yellow tote bag you have. It smells like you, so it made me feel better," Oliver admitted shyly.

"Oliver you're so cute," Shane said dreamily. "I am the luckiest wife in the world Oliver," Shane sighed then said sleepily, "I got Norman on FaceTime for Rita today so he could see their new daughter Caroline. She and Norman were so happy. That's why I didn't answer your call. Rita didn't give me my phone back before it stopped ringing. But I called you back as soon as she did."

"I know you did love. You don't have to explain. And I am so proud of you for doing that for Rita and Norman. That must have been really special for them. You're amazing Mrs. O"Toole." Oliver looked over at his wife as her head slumped down on his shoulder. Shane had fallen into a peaceful slumber. Oliver kissed her forehead and gently laid her down on the bed. She looked so beautiful with her eyes closed. Her pale pink cheeks sparkled in the moonlight and her lips seemed to smile even while she was sleeping. But that subtle smile gave her away. Oliver, knowing that she wasn't quite asleep yet, leaned down and kissed her soft lips. Shane returned the kiss and mumbled sleepily "Goodnight Oliver."

"Goodnight Shane. Tomorrow we are doing absolutely nothing except the grocery shopping that needs to be done. I'll make a list in the morning and you sleep in. I love you."

"I love you too," Shane whispered. Oliver got out of bed and checked that the baby gate was latched securely - it was. Oliver then checked that the baby monitor on Shane's nightstand was on and working - it was. He crawled into bed putting an arm around his wife. Oliver thanked God for all his blessings - his wife and daughter being first, and then he prayed for several other things, including a restful and healing night of sleep for his beautiful wife. Finally done praying, Oliver let sleep and peace take over his body as he began to dream. _All is right with the world. Even after that long, hard day, God is good_ , he thought.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own any of the SSD characters. This chapter was hard to write - as those of you on twitter probably gathered - so I hope you all like it. Thank you for the support!** **Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See?** **is by Bill Martin Jr. and illustrated by Eric Carle.**

Chapter 5:

Shane awoke to the cries of "Daddy, Daddy" from Savannah's bedroom. She raced over to Savannah's room and picked her up out of her crib. Savannah continued to cry out for Oliver instead. Shane had been hurt by Savannah wanting Oliver more than her at first, but she was used to it now. Savannah had been saying daddy since she could talk - it was her first word. Well maybe it was more like da da, but it was all the same to Shane. At first she was honestly… jealous. And Shane had hated herself for that. But there was nothing a mom wanted more than to feel needed by her child. Oliver had helped her get through it by telling her that Savannah loved her and it was a just a phase. It seemed like a long phase to Shane, but she soon realized that there was nothing wrong with Savannah wanting her amazing dad. It made Shane happy that they were so close now. And it was good that Savannah was comfortable with her dad from a young age. Whenever Shane had to leave the house for a little while, to run errands when Savannah was younger, she knew it wouldn't be a problem to leave her alone with Oliver.

"Daddy, Daddy!" Savannah was tired and in pain, so Shane could tell that this was going to turn into a full blown tantrum really soon. Shane held Savannah's head up against her body and stroked her hair. She bounced her on her hip to get her to calm down.

"Shhhh, shhhhh. It's okay sweetheart. Daddy is asleep so mommy is here okay?" Oliver was actually the one that usually got up with Savannah now. Once Shane got her off breastfeeding, she didn't need to be the one to get up with her anymore to feed her. So Oliver offered to take over that job to let Shane sleep in once in a while, and Shane was very grateful for that. Oliver had always been more of an early bird anyway, and Shane was the night owl. "Daddy not coming?" Savannah asked.

"No sweetheart, we're going to let daddy sleep. Here sweetheart, I know what you want. Your arm is hurting isn't it baby?" Savannah nodded her head. "Okay come on sweetheart, let's get you your medicine." Shane took Savannah into the hall bathroom and with her free hand opened the medicine cabinet and poured Savannah's Motrin into the little plastic medicine cup. This was the first time Savannah would take it so Shane was worried she would spit it out like she did with any other food or drink she didn't like. The terrible two's were a blast. "Savannah honey, listen to mommy okay? You have to drink this yummy juice for mommy and Dr. Smiley okay. It's going to make your arm feel better." Shane knew that if you could tell Savannah the thing was yummy before she ever tried it, she would usually agree with you. She felt bad for tricking her, but she had to get her to take the medicine or her arm would continue to hurt. Shane lifted the cup to Savannah's mouth. She didn't want her to throw it and spill the Motrin, so she just decided to hold it up to her mouth for her. "Drink baby girl," Shane said quietly. Savannah surprised her mom and drank the pink liquid without a fuss. "Good girl Savannah. Now let's go back to bed."

"NO, NO!" Savannah started crying and screaming and Shane knew it was all over. Oliver would be awake any minute and they would all be up for the day. Sometimes Shane could tell Savannah a story and get her to fall back to sleep, but if her arm was still hurting that was unlikely to work today. Savannah started flailing around in Shane's arms so Shane set her down. The terrible two's were really a blast. Shane thought Savannah was going to walk back into her room, but she should have known when Savannah started walking towards the master bedroom. She was on a mission to find Daddy. Shane started going after her, but then a sleepy looking disheveled Oliver appeared in the doorway with Savannah sitting on his foot with her one good arm wrapped around his leg. Shane giggled at the sight of this. Savannah rarely did this and Shane didn't know how she was staying on with one arm. "I found Daddy," Savannah said way too loud for the early morning.

Shane giggled again, "Yes you did sweetheart, but you have to let go of Daddy's leg so he can walk." Savannah pouted in protest and looked up at her mommy. Her protest didn't last long though as Shane gave her the hairy eyebrow. Savannah let go and Oliver picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Why are you up so early little one? I told you to be nice to mommy and you woke her up early you little munchkin?" Oliver tickled Savannah's tummy and she giggled. Shane smiled at the sight and sound of this. Oliver was always looking out for her - even telling a two year old not to wake up early.

"It's okay Oliver. She was hollering for you, but you were sound asleep so I handled it. Her arm was hurting so I just gave her some of the Motrin." Oliver heard this and felt bad. Shane didn't know it, but he could tell she looked exhausted. He turned around to look at the clock on her nightstand - six am. They never got up that early. Oliver walked over to his wife with Savannah still in his arms and leaned down and kissed her. It was short because Savannah was squirming, but Oliver felt it was very necessary. Shane ran a hand through his messy bed hair. She couldn't get over how cute he looked. She smiled at him and he caught her eye. "What?"

"You're just so cute with bedhead," Shane replied. Oliver blushed. What was he going to do with her?

"Do you want to try to put her back to bed love?" Oliver asked.

"No, she protested when I tried to tell her to. I mean, maybe you have the magic touch and you can get her to sleep again, but I wasn't going to try." Shane yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Okay I'm going to sit with her in the rocking chair and read her a book and then you can go back to bed."

"Oh, that's okay Oliver. I think I'll just stay up now."

"Shane sweetheart, you're exhausted. Let me take care of everything, including you. You had enough emotional turmoil yesterday to last a year. You have to get some rest sweetheart."

"Oliver, it's okay. I'm fine. I'm just going to stay in the room and read."

"Okay, if you're sure love. I'll read Savannah a story and see what happens and then I'll bring you breakfast in bed." As nice as that sounded to Shane, the truth was, she was feeling really nauseous and the last thing she felt like doing was eating anything.

"I'm really not that hungry Oliver, but thank you." Shane walked over to Oliver and gave him a brief kiss and then went to read her morning devotional. Oliver didn't want to fight his wife on the matter of her eating again, so he took Savannah into her room and sat down on the rocking chair, with her in his lap. He pulled Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? off of Savannah's bookshelf and began to read in his husky bear voice. Savannah giggled as she pointed at all the animals on cue and made their sounds. Oliver had only read this book to her a thousand times, so she pretty much knew it by heart. But even still, Savannah never failed to laugh and squeal at her dad's bear voice.

After Oliver finished the book, he put on some quiet instrumental music, and rocked Savannah back and forth in the rocking chair. It took her awhile to forget about the book and settle down, but within a half hour Oliver had her sound asleep again. Oliver laid Savannah back in her crib and covered her up. He tiptoed out of the room and found Shane on their bed, reading her bible. Shane had her back to the headboard and her legs sticking out in front of her as she sat on top of the blankets. Oliver sat across from her at the end of her legs and began massaging her feet. "Good morning beautiful." Oliver looked at his wife longingly.

"Good morning Oliver. That feels nice, thank you."

"I love you sweetheart. Do you want breakfast now?"

"I love you too, but I'm not feeling well Oliver. I'm not going to eat anything yet. Thank you though."

"Oh, sweetheart what's wrong? Are you okay, is there anything I can get you?"

"No that's okay, thank you though Oliver. Did you get Savannah to go back to sleep?"

"I most certainly did. You should go back to bed Shane and get some rest. I'm worried about you." Oliver didn't think Shane was taking her rest seriously enough. He knew she was emotionally and physically exhausted.

"You're amazing Oliver. It would've taken me at least an hour to get her to sleep. Thank you for taking care of that for me." Shane leaned forward and kissed Oliver. Oliver wanted to savor the moment so he pulled Shane onto his lap.

" I love you so much," Oliver whispered in her ear. "Are you okay?"

"I love you too Oliver. I'm much better now. I'm going to go back to sleep, but don't worry about me okay?"

"Not going to happen love, but nice try. I'm going to make my oatmeal. You sleep well." He gave her a quick peck on the lips and got up and shut the door so his wife could sleep. He tiptoed downstairs and put the tea kettle on for himself. Then he went outside and down the driveway to retrieve the day's newspaper. Upstairs, Shane sank into her pillow and fell fast asleep. Oliver poured his cup of tea and made his oatmeal in the microwave. He sprinkled some blueberries on top and sat down at the kitchen table to enjoy his breakfast and read the newspaper. He hoped Rita and Norman were doing okay at work by themselves. He had called Norman last night to tell him that he and Shane were taking another day off. Their day of doing nothing yesterday, had totally backfired. Besides, Shane was in no condition to work after all she went through, and Dr. Smiley said Savannah should be monitored closely to make sure her arm doesn't continue to hurt. It was best they all took a _real_ day off with no drama. Of course Norman completely understood and assured Oliver that he and Rita would handle everything. Bill was coming to watch Caroline and Xavier, their 4 year old son, like he always did.

Oliver finished his oatmeal and put his bowl into the dishwasher. He figured he should start making that grocery list, so he opened all the cabinets and the fridge and looked at what they needed. As soon as the list was done, Oliver hopped in the car and drove to the store to finish the shopping before his girls woke up. He spotted his dad as he pulled into the parking lot. Joe was leaving, carrying a bunch of plastic bags in both hands. "Hi dad. Fancy seeing you here."

"Well hello son. How's it going Oliver? How's Savannah's arm?" Oliver had also called his dad yesterday at the hospital to tell him that they wouldn't need him to babysit today because of Savannah's arm.

"It's alright. She woke up early in pain and Shane's not feeling well either, so I don't know what to do. They're both sleeping right now."

"Shane too, oh boy. You got your hands full. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, but thanks dad. I've got everything under control. We're just staying in and having a relaxing day - making up for the disaster that was yesterday."

"Yeah son, you will never get uh, what did you say on the phone… "distracted" by the stairs ever again." Oliver didn't know if he should be mad at his dad for teasing him about a serious matter, or if he should just laugh with him. He decided to just play it casual so he replied "No, I won't dad. Well I should get this shopping over with, so see you later."

"Bye son. You're sure you don't need help Oliver?"

"Everything's under control," Oliver called back as he walked away. Joe just shook his head at his stubborn son. He never let anyone else take care of his girls. Joe worried he put too much pressure on himself.

Oliver was standing in the sauce aisle trying to find the spaghetti sauce Shane always got that Savannah liked, when he heard a voice from behind that instantly filled him with dread. "Oliver O'Toole is that you? Well look at that." Two words - Lester Kimsicle. As if his dad wasn't enough of an interruption. Oliver stood up and sighed as he tugged on his suit jacket, trying to hold his composure. "Mr. Kimsicle, we meet again."

"Well how the heck are you O'Toole?"

"I'm fine."

"How's the lovely blondie - your wife?"

"She's sick, so if you'll excuse me I have to uh… look for this spaghetti sauce so I can get back to her and our daughter," Oliver said lost in thought as he searched the shelves.

"Oh you need the tomato basil sauce right? It's right here." Lester bent down and pulled a small can off the shelf. Oliver looked at him and then back at the can he was holding. It was the exact kind that Shane got. Lester handed it to Oliver who was speechless. "How did you…?"

"Oh your wife didn't tell you? I see her here all the time. I love to cook so I'm in here constantly, getting new ingredients. I've practically memorized her shopping list, that's how often I see her. We're always in the same aisles." Oliver was dumbfounded. Shane came here and shopped with… Lester Kimsicle? There was only one person that could be worse than Lester and he was… well he was unspeakable. "Well I've got to bounce O'Toole. I've got a date tonight. I think you know her - Hazel? Well anyway, enjoy your spaghetti." And that was that. Lester left Oliver there, gawking in the sauce aisle alone. He and Shane apparently had some talking to do.

Shane had spent the whole morning in the bathroom puking her guts out with only a box of saltine crackers to comfort her. She decided it was time to take the test. All of a sudden she heard Oliver's car pull back into the driveway, the test would have to wait. She cleaned herself up and rushed back downstairs to put the saltines back exactly how they were. She didn't want Oliver getting suspicious when she didn't know for sure yet. Oliver came in the front door and Shane greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. "Hi honey, here let me take some of the bags for you."

"You're awake. Are you feeling better?" Oliver set his bags down on the kitchen counter and pulled Shane into his arms. She leaned into him and allowed her head to rest on his shoulder. She closed her eyes as she said "Yeah I'm feeling a little bit better. Thank you for doing the shopping, did it go okay?"

"Well I bumped into Lester," Oliver said as he let go of Shane, shut and locked the front door, and grabbed the last of the bags in the foyer.

"Oh. Well how is he?

"He found the spaghetti sauce we use for me. He said he sees you all the time and knows your whole shopping list by heart? Is that true?"

"Yeah I do see him all the time and he knows the store really well so we usually talk and shop. He's really not that bad Oliver. He likes to put on a show, but he's actually a very nice, knowledgeable guy."

"Nice guy?! Shane, he still refers to you as blondie. Why didn't you tell me this?"

"Because I knew you would react this way. I know you're still not fond of him so I just left it alone. I'm sorry Oliver, but he doesn't call me blondie so he must have been showing off for you. Maybe you make him nervous."

"I don't know and I don't care. I hope I do make him nervous because no one refers to my wife as "blondie."

"Oliver…" Shane chuckled a little. "Oliver it's not a big deal, I don't mind. Give Lester a break okay? He helped you find the right sauce remember?"

"Okay, okay. I'm overreacting, but please tell me these things love. Oh, and Lester is dating Hazel now."

"Okay Oliver, I promise I will tell you. And I know, I'm the one that convinced Lester to make a move. They've been going steady for a month now." Shane smirked and walked around the counter and kissed her husband. Oliver forgot everything that he just said. Shane smiled at him and rubbed his arms. Then she let go to help him put away the groceries. "Would you like those blueberry waffles now Shane?"

"No!" Shane said it a little too urgently for Oliver to not be suspicious. "Oh okay. Are you still not feeling well?"

"Yeah, just not hungry." Oliver eyed his wife will suspicion, but also concern. He could tell something was up with his wife, but for some reason she wasn't ready to share it with him. He knew she would when she was ready. "Daddy, Daddy!" Oliver raced upstairs at the sound of Savannah's shouting.

"What is it sweetheart? Daddy's right here. Come here." He hoisted Savannah out of her crib and bounced her in his arms. "Hungry daddy," Savannah replied. It was now ten o'clock in the morning, so it was no wonder Savannah was hungry. Oliver took Savannah downstairs and strapped her in her booster seat. He poured some Cherrios on her tray for her to eat. Shane came over and kissed Savannah on the cheek. "Good morning darling. Mommy loves you. Did you have sweet dreams?"

"Love mommy too. Dreams were okay."

"Good baby. Does your arm feel better?" Savannah nodded as she chewed her cereal. "Oh I'm glad baby girl." Shane went back to the living room and sat on the couch with her iPad. She was reading an Ebook, which drove Oliver crazy. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to read off a screen. Oliver sat with Savannah at the table and drank a Yoohoo. Savannah reached for the bottle and Oliver said as he pulled it out of her reach, "Ah ah, we drink regular milk for breakfast remember?" Savannah pouted, but she soon forgot about it as she shoved another Cheerio in her mouth. "Hey mommy, are you okay over there," Oliver called to Shane.

"I'm okay Oliver. I'm doing the thing you don't like - well one of the many." Shane laughed. Oliver just shook his head and chuckled to himself. He looked over at Savannah and saw that her tray was empty. "Good girl sweetheart. Do you want some yogurt or fruit?"

"Cookie," Savannah squealed.

Oliver chuckled and shook his head at Savannah. "No sweets for breakfast princess. You're already sweet enough," Oliver teased. "Yogurt or fruit," he repeated.

"Gurt pwease." Shane giggled from the living room and Oliver laughed. "Okay, some _gurt_ , coming right up. He dumped a cup of vanilla yogurt into a little bowl for Savannah. Oliver set the bowl and a little spoon on the tray for his daughter. Savannah began to scoop and lick like a big girl. When she was done Oliver picked her up and carried her to the sink where he scrubbed her hands and face. When she was all clean, he set her down so she could play with her toys scattered across the living room floor. He was constantly cleaning up after her. He had even made a game out of it. Oliver pretended to be the "big bad vacuum" and Savannah would run around the room and squeal as she dodged him. Oliver finished washing the dishes and then came over and sat next to Shane as she watched their little girl play with her dolls. Shane already had some dolls on her lap, waiting for Savannah to play with them again. Oliver kissed Shane's forehead and put his arm around her. "Are you enjoying the day so far?"

"I am Oliver. Thank you."

"I love you. You let me know if you need anything okay?" Shane leaned into him and kissed him.

"You are the love of my life Oliver." With that, Oliver closed the distance once more.

 **Hope you liked it - it's one of my personal favorite chapters. Chapter 6 hopefully coming later today if I can make it happen. I couldn't wait to post this one to make it a double feature. Chapter 6 is going to fast forward to the night of today (the day that is described in chapter 5.) Does that make sense?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 took a lot of contemplating. I don't own anything you recognize and/or any SSD characters. The Denver Botanic Gardens are a real place, but besides the fact that they are too far to walk to from Washington Park in my opinion (that is as far as my research extended because I cared about whether they drove or walked and it had to be accurate), the rest of the information portrayed was my imagination and if accurate is purely coincidental. Hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 6: 

Shane had been waiting all day for Oliver to leave so she could take the test. It was now eight o'clock in the evening and he hadn't had to go anywhere. He had went to the grocery store in the morning and that was it. She knew it was their day off so he wanted to spend time with her and Savannah, but just this once she actually _needed_ him to leave. Savannah had just woken up from a nap, so she was bouncing off the walls. Shane knew they would be going to bed late tonight. Oliver was dancing with Savannah in the kitchen. He dipped her just like he dipped Shane, and Savannah pretended to fall on her butt. She laughed as she got back up and took her dad's hand. Oliver wanted to have a dance with Shane too, but she had refused because she had a headache. Little did Oliver know - him not leaving but instead, "hovering", was the cause of said headache. Shane knew she should just go upstairs and take the test, but then she would have to hide her emotions from Oliver until she could tell him without Savannah around. She wanted to tell her husband alone first. _What if,_ Shane thought.

Shane snuck into the kitchen, grabbed Savannah, and spun her around in the air. Savannah squealed with delight at her mommy. "Higher, higher!" But instead, Shane gently lowered her to the ground and set her down. She walked over to Oliver and whispered in his ear, "How about we get your dad to watch Savannah for a few hours and you and I go out? It's been a long time since you and I had a night out, just the two of us." Oliver tried to maintain his composure as Shane eyed him sweetly. He loved when she got close to him like this and he could smell her familiar shampoo and perfume. Shane raised her eyebrows as she waited for a response.

"Yes, that sounds lovely my dear. I will call my dad." Oliver went into the family office and called his dad. Shane went upstairs to the bathroom.

"Hi Dad. I was wondering if maybe you could stop by and watch Savannah for a few hours. Shane and I are going… out. I don't know where or how long because it was her idea but…"

"Of course Oliver! I would love to watch my granddaughter, anytime. I'm glad you called and I'm especially glad you and Shane will get some time alone. I'll be over in let's say... twenty minutes?"

"Thank you Dad. I better go get ready. See you soon… I love you Dad."

"Love you son, see you soon." Oliver went upstairs to his room to change. As he went into the closet he saw that the bathroom door was closed. Shane paused suddenly as she heard Oliver's footsteps outside the door. She made shooing motions with her hands behind the door.

"Shane my love, are you okay?"

"Fine, love. I'll be out in a minute."

 **A few minutes earlier….**

Shane pulled the stick out of the package and took a deep breath. This was it, this was the moment of truth. Shane waited two minutes and then braced herself as she picked up the test to read it. Positive. A few tears escaped Shane's eyes and ran down her cheeks. She knew she had to face Oliver in just a few minutes so she had to hold it together. _We're having a baby! I'm pregnant, I can't believe it, Savannah is going to have a sibling, there's going to be another little one in this house. I can't wait to tell Oliver. Thank You, dear God, for blessing my family with another member._ Shane hurriedly threw the pregnancy test away, making sure to bury it in the wastebasket (not too deep though so she could show Oliver later), and began to compose herself as she heard Oliver outside the door. She silently begged him to go away so she could come out without him seeing her tear stained cheeks. "Shane my love, are you okay?"

Shane came out after Oliver went back downstairs to check on Savannah. They had a baby camera, but Oliver went down to see her anyway of course. Shane slipped into a figure hugging black dress, because soon she wouldn't be able to wear it she realized. Not to mention it was one of Oliver's favorite dresses on her. She did her makeup and made the sign. Just then the doorbell rang. Shane went to answer it.

"Hi Joe, how are you? Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Anytime Shane. You look great, you two have a good time." He lowered his voice, " Just between you and I, I don't think you know how excited Oliver is take you out in the first time in forever. I'm glad you suggested it. He's been worried about you, said you've been feeling nauseous and very emotional lately." Joe grinned and rubbed Shane's arm with a knowing look. Shane smiled and blushed. Leave it to her father in law to figure it out for himself again. He knew about Savannah before Oliver too. Joe walked into the kitchen and peeked around the corner into the living room. He spied his granddaughter sitting on Oliver's lap as he sat covered in stuffed animals. "Oh, look who's here sweetheart." Savannah turned around and shouted "Grandpa!" She got off the couch and raced into his arms as he crouched down to meet her. He picked her up and kissed her head. "Hi sweetie. You ready to spend some time with Grandpa while mommy and daddy go out?"

"Fun!" Savannah shouted. "Yes it will be," Joe replied, not just meaning him and Savannah. Oliver stood up and grabbed his coat off the kitchen chair. Joe escorted Oliver to the door with his granddaughter sidekick still in his arms to help. "Okay, well as soon as I find Sh…" Oliver spotted his beautiful wife standing in the the foyer by the front door waiting for him. She was in the gorgeous black dress that he loved on her. She had rendered him speechless. "My love, you take my breath away." Then in an even more serious and thoughtful tone Oliver said, "Shane, you look stunning… you look beautiful. You're gorgeous."Shane almost melted into a puddle. She blushed as she looked lovingly at her husband. "Thank you," she squeaked out.

"Alright that's enough. Thank you for the show. You two go have fun so we can have some grandpa-granddaughter time," Joe teased. Oliver put his arm around Shane's waist and led her out the door. He glanced back at his dad and his eyes said thank you. Joe smiled and nodded. He thought, _if only you knew son, if only you knew._

Shane requested they go to the Denver Botanic Gardens. She was in the mood to just enjoy and take in nature's beauty. It was just another one of God's beautiful creations - just like the baby growing inside of her. It was too far to walk so they drove in Oliver's car. They arrived at 10:17 at night and the gardens were all lit up. Oliver got out and opened Shane's car door for her. She glowed in the lights and he felt the urge to kiss her, but she kept walking. Oliver locked the car and caught up with Shane as he laced his fingers with hers. Shane let go of his hand and reached over and pulled his arm around her shoulders. Oliver squeezed Shane tight against him to let her know he wasn't letting go anytime soon. They strolled around the gardens and Oliver liked to stop and read the informational signs about all the plants, but he never let go of Shane. And Shane didn't mind at all, they were in no hurry. All of a sudden a beautiful blue butterfly landed on Shane's stomach. It was as if God was trying to tell Shane to reveal the news already and laying a protective hand on their baby all at the same time. Shane ducked out from Oliver's arm and walked to the exit of the gardens. Behind the last greenhouse there was a little gazebo with white strings of lights lining the roof and the rails. Shane turned her back to Oliver, who was still in the greenhouse, and reached her in purse and pulled out the tape. She taped the sign to her dress.

A minute later Oliver strolled up and put his arms around his wife's waist. As he did so, he felt paper crinkle under his hands. "What, Shane what is…?" Shane turned around with welled up eyes and revealed a sign on her stomach that read _O'Toole Baby #2 on board._ Oliver stood in front of his wife and his jaw dropped. Was he really reading that correctly? Was he dreaming? "Are you serious?"

"Yes, we're having a baby Oliver! I'm pregnant."

"Shane?"

"I'm really pregnant Oliver. We're having a baby!" Shane began to happy sob as Oliver wrapped her up and lifted her off the ground. He spun her around with joy as he exclaimed "We're having a baby!" He set Shane down and engulfed her in his embrace as she cried into his chest. "I love you so much Shane." Oliver was so happy and emotional that he went straight to prayer. "Dear God, thank You for this ravishing woman I get to call my wife and claim six beautiful years of marriage with. Thank You for blessing us with a beautiful, smart little girl and now another baby. We ask for Your guidance as we embark on the journey of parenthood once again. In Your name we pray Lord, Amen."

"That was beautiful Oliver," Shane said breathlessly. "Are you happy Oliver?"

"My beautiful love, I couldn't be any happier. I am so proud of you and the little girl we've raised into her second year of life, and the life we've built together." Oliver stroked Shane's hair and kissed her head a few times. "When did you find out love?"

"Well I've been suspecting for a few days now. But I took the test just before we left - just before your dad came. I can show you when we get home. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to confirm."

"I am so happy Shane. I can't wait to tell Savannah and my dad. I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or girl. And we'll call your mom tomorrow and tell Norman and Rita," Oliver rattled on.

"Yes, I know sweetheart." Shane giggled. Oliver was just being way too cute for her to handle. " I can't wait to tell Savannah she's going to be a big sister. But your dad already knows Oliver." Shane looked up at her husband as she still stood in his arms. She waited for his reaction.

"Did he figure out before me again?" Oliver shook his head. Then it dawned on him - the nauseousness and Shane being extra emotional. How did he miss it? He was so wrapped up in Savannah's arm and making sure his wife slept, he completely missed the signs. "You've been having morning sickness haven't you? And that's why you've been extra emotional too."

"You got it love." Shane couldn't stand it anymore, it was greatly overdue. She ran a hand through Oliver's hair and kissed him. Oliver drew her body into his and cascaded his hand up and down her back. "Time to go home?" Shane asked. She smiled shyly at her dashing husband.

"Time to go home my love." He put his coat on Shane as she shivered and then he wrapped his arm around her shoulders once more as they walked back to the car. Before opening the car door Oliver pulled his coat collar on his coat and drew Shane into him for one last kiss before they left. As Oliver wrapped Shane tighter, Oliver's coat fell to the ground and Oliver briefly lifted Shane off her feet as they continued their earth shattering kiss. Shane released and let her forehead rest on Oliver's for a moment longer. She sighed. Oliver picked up his coat and put it back around Shane's shoulders. He took the sign off her stomach so she could sit in the car comfortably. "You're an amazing mother, an amazing wife, an amazing friend, and an amazing sister. You are so beautiful Shane, and I love you."

Shane teared up. "Oh Oliver, I love you too." Shane kissed her husband and then he opened the car door for her.

Shane and Oliver walked in through the front door into the dark foyer. Joe came to greet them. "Savannah is up in bed. How was it tonight?" Joe winked at Shane and she beamed. Oliver hugged his dad. "Congratulations son. Thanks for giving me another grandchild."

"Thank this beauty not me." Oliver wrapped his arm around Shane who was standing behind him. "She's the one that's going to carry our little angel for nine months and give birth." Oliver was so proud of his wife right in that moment that he didn't think he deserved any credit for the matter. But Shane thought otherwise.

"Oh Oliver. Don't be silly." Shane kissed her husband's cheek. Joe hugged Shane next.

"Thank you."

"It's my pleasure Joe," and they all laughed.

Joe left soon after that. Shane and Oliver put on their pajamas and came downstairs for their nightly dance. Oliver put on a record and took his wife's hand and led her onto the dance floor - also known as the living room floor. Shane's head rested on his shoulder, and Oliver held her hand in his against his chest as they swayed back and forth. Then Oliver bent down and put a hand on Shane's stomach and leaned his ear close. "Hello in there little one. Daddy and Mommy can't wait to meet you. We already love you so much and we're going to spoil you and love you forever." Oliver kissed Shane's stomach and then stood up and drew his wife into him as kissed her. Tears were streaming down Shane's face and Oliver took a gentle thumb and brushed them away. Oliver could tell his wife was tired and it was back to work tomorrow so he asked "Ready for bed my love?" Shane nodded.

"Yes. It was an amazing day Oliver. Thank you."

"Anytime my love, I love you."

"I love you more." Shane kissed Oliver briefly and then he picked her up and carried her upstairs and laid her down. He tucked her in, kissed her cheek, and turned out the lights. Then he got in bed and curled up next to her, as he contemplated what color they should paint the new baby's room after the gender reveal and what names he liked for girls and boys.

 **Afterthoughts: Dear readers/POstables, please don't mind my OCD detail oriented self. You probably don't know why it matters that they arrived at 10:17 exactly at the botanic gardens and neither do I so… yeah, don't ask. Maybe someday I will add footnotes or something so y'all can see what goes on in my head while I'm writing. BTW - this rant was written before the end of the story. My brain was just like "halt, it's rant time." So yeah don't mind me and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. See you right back here for chapter seven. I'm very excited to TRY to tell Shane's pregnancy journey to the best of my abilities. I'm looking forward to a call to Shane's mom, breaking the news to NoRita, and Shane's first doctor's appointment all in the next chapter. Stay tuned and thank you for all the lovely reviews and tweets thus far!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own any of the SSD characters or anything you recognize - (Chez Ramon). Okay, so we're going to say that Oliver originally wanted to take Thursday off, but then Savannah broke her arm. Friday is when they actually stay in and Shane tells Oliver she's pregnant. Chapter 7 is set on Sunday of that week and they are getting** _ **another**_ **day off because I don't think I can tackle a letter mystery yet at work. I think they work weekends in the actual movies and I don't want to change that. So normally they would work today, but Shane has a doctor's appointment and so does Savannah. In my mind the POstables always have shorter hours on Sunday anyway because I am going to make Shane and Oliver going to church together every Sunday morning a thing. So let's say they normally don't have to come into work Sunday until 12:00 noon, but this Sunday they are getting the whole day off because well - Oliver has acquired a "bit" of vacation time. IDK whatever - Enjoy!**

Oliver woke up to the wind and the rain outside. Shane was tucked right against him and his arm was around her waist. He realized that they slept like that the entire night. All of a sudden Oliver had to sneeze - he didn't want to because he would wake up his wife, but he couldn't hold it in. "Achoo!" Shane's eyes slowly fluttered open as she yawned.

"What time is it?" She mumbled drowsily.

"Six AM." Shane rolled over and rested her head on Oliver's chest as she reached across for his other arm and caressed his hand with her thumb. Oliver returned the favor. He could see that his wife had no intention of getting up yet. She closed her eyes again as she fell back to sleep with her head on his chest. Oliver used his other arm to rub Shane's back. Shane slept soundly another hour before Oliver whispered "Shane, sweetheart. We have to get up now to get ready for church." Shane sighed and sat up. Then she lowered herself down and planted a kiss on Oliver's lips.

"You are the best alarm I've ever had." Oliver blushed and pulled her right back into him. Oliver loved going to church with Shane. He switched the time he sang in the choir to the Saturday night masses after he and Shane got married, so he could sit _with_ her during Sunday morning masses. Shane had gotten up and was in Savannah's room. Savannah was still asleep so the pain medicine must have really helped. It seemed like her arm wasn't hurting too much anymore.

"Oliver, will you come wake up Savannah? She usually wakes up better for you. She's like me - she likes seeing your face first thing in the morning and being held by you." Oliver looked at his wife and sighed amusingly. Oliver rubbed Savannah's back gently and pushed her hair out of her face. She woke up and reached her arms up indicating Oliver to lift her up. "Good morning my little angel. Did you sleep well and have sweet dreams?"

"Yes daddy." Oliver kissed Savannah's forehead. They all went downstairs to eat breakfast. Oliver set Savannah down in her booster seat and poured some cheerios on her tray. Then he cut up some strawberries and put them on her tray in a little bowl. Finally, he gave Savannah a sippy cup full of milk to drink. Then he moved on to Shane's brown sugar and blueberry oatmeal. "Here my love, enjoy." Oliver set Shane's oatmeal down in front of her and kissed her on the cheek and subtly reached a hand under the table and touched her stomach. Shane put her hand over his to show him she shared his excitement.

"Thank you Oliver." Oliver set off to make his oatmeal too. They all sat at the kitchen table enjoying their Sunday morning breakfast. Oliver kept looking over at Shane to make sure she wasn't starting to feel the effects of morning sickness. Shane kept looking back at him with her eyes trying to tell him not to worry about her. When he and Shane had finished, he rinsed their dishes and set them on the counter. They had a dishwasher, but they rarely ever used it. One of Shane and Oliver's odd married couple habits was that liked to do the dishes together at night. Shane washed so Oliver didn't have to get "dirty" and Oliver dried. It usually involved some dancing and splashing too. Oliver grabbed Savannah's bowl and wiped her tray as Shane lifted her out of her booster seat and carried her upstairs so they could get dressed. Shane helped Savannah brush her teeth and then helped her change into a colorful polka dotted dress. She set Savannah up with some stuffed animals in her room to play with and then went to get ready herself. Soon Oliver had come up to join her. He brushed his teeth and put on a grey suit with a purple tie. Shane put on a purple dress with grey lace around the neckline and sleeves that went to the elbows. As she emerged from the closet all dressed up Oliver spotted her and said "You look beautiful my love." He grabbed Shane's hand, twirled her around, and spun her into a kiss.

"Thank you Oliver." Shane smiled sweetly at her husband and then went to put her makeup on. Oliver peeked his head into Savannah's room to check on her. She was putting on a dance performance for her stuffed animals. She kept wobbling though because she only had one good arm. Oliver chuckled and pulled out his cell phone to start recording like Shane taught him. All of a sudden Savannah really lost her balance and was about to fall on her broken arm. But Oliver was a dad now, so his reflexes were fast. He dropped his phone and swooped in and grabbed Savannah just before she hit the floor. "Woah baby girl, woah. You have to be careful baby. You have to take it easy so you don't hurt your arm more okay? No more dancing right now." Savannah started to cry. Her dad had scared her rushing in like that and she didn't like the sound of no dancing either. She buried her head in Oliver's shoulder and rubbed her eyes. "Oh sweetheart did daddy scare you? I'm sorry. Oh, baby it's okay, daddy's here. Shh shh shh."

Savannah started to cry less. "I wove you daddy." Oliver just about melted.

"I love you too sweetheart." Oliver kissed her forehead and bounced her in his arms as he carried her into his room. Shane had finished her makeup and Oliver was turned speechless once again. Shane turned around and smiled at seeing her daughter in her husband's arms. Oliver walked over and kissed his wife and ended up with fresh lipstick all over his face. Shane laughed and took it into her own hands to clean her husband's face off. She gazed into his eyes knowingly as she wiped his face. It was all set up.

Oliver carried Savannah as he walked down the hallway with Shane, but instead of turning into Savannah's room, Shane turned into one of the guest bedrooms. She opened the door as Oliver set Savannah down and let her run and jump onto the big bed like she always did. They waited for Savannah to see the teddy bear and the little stuffed butterfly propped against one of the pillows. Shane had picked out the butterfly since one landed on her the night she told Oliver about the baby, and Oliver picked the bear for Savannah. The bear was holding a shirt for Savannah that read "Big Sister" and the butterfly had a onesie laying on it that read "Little Butterfly is Coming Soon."

Savannah saw the teddy bear and she looked up at Oliver, "For me?"

"Yes sweetheart. Give it a hug and look at what it's holding. What is that? What does it say?" Savannah couldn't read yet so she looked up at Oliver with furrowed eyebrows and babbled some sounds. "It says _Big Sister_ baby girl," Shane said choked up. Savannah's eyes got really big and she squealed.

"Where?"

Oliver and Shane laughed at their daughter's innocent question. "In mommy's tummy. See, this is the baby's onesie. It says that your little sibling is coming soon." Savannah pointed at Shane's stomach. "In there?"

"Yes baby." Shane guided Savannah's hand and laid it on her stomach. "Here it's okay baby, you can touch. Soon mommy's tummy will be really big because the baby will grow. Say hi to them"

"Hello, anybody in there?" Shane laughed. Savannah asked "Boy or girl mommy?"

"Well we don't know yet sweetheart. We have to wait and see." Savannah huffed and sighed. Shane smiled at Oliver and winked at him playfully. "Savannah this teddy bear belongs to you and you can wear the shirt when your brother or sister is born. Mommy and daddy also want you to keep this butterfly okay? But you have to take really good care of it because it's going to belong to your new sibling. So you have to be very gentle with it and protect it and keep it safe so you can give it to the baby. Do you think you can do that?" Shane asked.

"Yes mommy." Savannah gingerly picked up the butterfly and carried into her room and set it on her bed. Then she grabbed one of her doll blankets and set the butterfly on her toy chest and covered it up. She kissed its wing. "Don't fly away." Shane and Oliver watched from the doorway of her room as very proud parents. Oliver wrapped his arm around Shane in the doorway and pulled her in for a kiss on the cheek. Their plan had worked. They knew Savannah would be a great big sister, but they wanted to teach her just how fragile and delicate a baby really is. By letting a stuffed animal, something Savannah loves, represent the baby, they could teach her to be gentle and soft.

"Time to go to church sweetheart," Oliver said as he picked her up. "You're taking good care of the butterfly."

"It won't fly away?"

"No sweetheart, I promise it will be there when we get back. You want to know why?"

"Why daddy?"

"Because you were kind and gentle, the butterfly will listen to you. See, when we are harsh sweetheart then people… or butterflies don't want to listen to us. We must always remember to be patient and gentle."

"Yes daddy." Shane's eyes were tearing up at her husband and daughter's touching lesson. Oliver was so good at teaching Savannah things. She was thankful he was the father of their daughter. Shane led the way downstairs and helped Savannah put her coat on. Then Oliver came up behind her at the coat closet in the foyer and helped his wife with her coat.

At church Savannah sat in the pew flipping through the hymnal trying to find all the page numbers on her list. Oliver or Shane always made Savannah a list of page numbers that she had to find in the hymnal to keep her occupied for the hour long mass. It helped her with her numbers and counting as well as kept her occupied. She couldn't count very high yet but her parents gave her low numbers. As long as they were two digits Savannah could look at the list and keep flipping until the number in the hymnal matched. Oliver and Shane stood with Oliver's arm around Shane's waist as they shared a hymnal and sang.

Savannah had found all her page numbers just as the last song was being sang. As the O'Tooles put their coats on, Dale came down from the choir risers and hugged Oliver. "Oliver it's so good to see you. I miss you singing at Sunday morning mass - the whole choir does. We were sad to see you go, but obviously you made the right choice." Dale gestured towards Shane, knowing Oliver quit singing at Sunday masses so he could spend them singing with his lovely wife instead.

"Hello Dale. How have you been?" Oliver asked.

"Busy with work, the usual. And how are you Shane?"

"I'm so happy." Shane smiled as she glanced at her husband and then back at Dale. Dale looked at Shane questioningly, but didn't pry.

"And how are you little Savannah?" Dale bent down to Savannah's level.

"Busy. I have take care of butterfly for baby." Dale looked to Oliver and Shane to explain this.

"We gave Savannah a stuffed butterfly to take care of for her new sibling because the night Shane gave me the news that she's… pregnant, a butterfly landed on her stomach." Oliver stated.

"Oh my gosh, Shane congratulations!" Dale hugged Shane and then Oliver. "Congratulations Oliver."

"Thank you so much Dale," Oliver replied.

"Yes, thank you Dale. We're so excited."

"I am so happy for the both of you. Savannah you will be a great big sister. Take care of your butterfly."

"I will Miss Dale." The adults chuckled and Dale excused herself so she could get back to work. The O'Tooles had to leave anyway to meet Norman and Rita for lunch.

Oliver unbuckled Savannah and took Shane's hand as they walked into Chez Ramon and spotted Norman and Rita at a table. Caroline and Xavier were with them too. Xavier ran up to Savannah and hugged her. As he was quite a bit taller than Savannah, being two year older, he managed to pick her up off her feet. The adults burst out laughing. "Xavier I know you're excited to see Savannah, put you can but her down now," Rita said.

"Hi Vannah!"

"Hi Zavi!" Xavier and Savannah were really good friends from so many playdates, that they even had nicknames for each other. The adults always joked that Savannah O'Toole would one day become Savannah Dorman and each couple would be in-laws to the other's child. Xavier had already asked if he could marry Savannah a few months ago. Rita and Norman stood and hugged their friends. Caroline sat quietly at the table. She was still very shy and she had never met Savannah. Rita suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, Caroline this is your first time meeting your cousin Savannah! Come here sweetheart. This is Savannah - Uncle Oliver and Aunt Shane's daughter. Do you remember Aunt Shane?"

"Yes, the beautiful lady." Shane blushed and laughed with Rita.

"Thank you Caroline. This is Savannah, she's two years old." Shane turned to Savannah who was singing Ring Around the Rosies with Xavier, "Savannah sweetheart, come meet your new cousin Caroline. She's five." Savannah toddled over and hugged Caroline.

"Hi Careline." Caroline hugged Savannah back shyly. Rita and Shane smiled at each other. These two would get along great.

"And Caroline, that handsome man over there in the grey suit is my husband and your Uncle Oliver. Oliver, come here please love!" Shane called. Oliver walked over and wrapped his arms around Shane. "I'm at your service love."

"Oliver, this is Caroline. Caroline this is Uncle Oliver." Caroline reached out her hand for Oliver to shake it and he did.

"Hi Caroline. It's very nice to meet you. That's a very pretty dress you're wearing." Oliver chuckled. You could tell Caroline was Rita's daughter because her dress was covered in pink owls.

"Thank you Uncle Oliver."

"Alright kids let's sit down to eat now okay? We can dance and sing by the jukebox more later," Rita announced. Shane picked up Savannah and put her in her booster seat that was in between her and Oliver's chairs. On the other side of the table sat the Doorman family. Xavier was across from Savannah, next to him was Norman, on the end next to Norman was Caroline, and on the opposite end sat Rita. After they ordered their food, Shane looked over at her husband and he nodded. "Rita, Norman we have some news."

Rita asked nervously, "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is great. Oliver and I are…" Shane started to tear up so Oliver had to finish. "We're expecting a baby. Shane's pregnant."

"Oh my goodness congratulations you two," Norman said. Rita squealed and grabbed Shane's hand across the table "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you guys!" Rita looked over at Savannah. "So Savannah you're going to be a big sister huh?" Savannah smiled and nodded and then continued coloring with Xavier. Rita shook her head. "Those two are inseparable."

After lunch the O'Tooles and the Doormans said their goodbyes and parted ways. Well that is, after Xavier bearhugged Savannah and Savannah hugged Caroline goodbye too. Shane and Oliver drove home to call Shane's mom and then they had to take Savannah to see Dr. Smiley. Savannah sat on the living room floor playing with her toys as Shane and Oliver sat on the couch. Shane dialed her mom's number. "Mom, hi, how are you?"

"Hi darling, I'm good, how are you?"

"I'm great mom. Oliver is sitting with me on the couch. We have something to tell you."

"Oh no, should I like the sound of that? Is Savannah okay?"

"Yes mom Savannah is fine. It's good news." Shane handed her phone to Oliver.

"Ms. McInerney, you are getting another grandchild. Your daughter has honored me with the privilege of becoming a father again." Oliver held the phone away from his ear Shane's mom screamed "Oh my gosh! Are you serious? Thank you! Congratulations! Awe sweetheart, Oliver, I'm so happy for you both. How does Savannah feel about this?"

"Thank you mom. Savannah is really excited. She loves feeling my stomach and talking to the baby. We told Norman and Rita… and Joe. Everyone is very excited."

"Oh how is Joe? Is your dad doing alright Oliver?"

"My dad is well, thank you for asking."

"Oh good, I'm glad Oliver. Well you two, I have to go, tell Savannah I said hi. Bye." She hung up. Shane looked at Oliver puzzled. Something was up with her mom, she never hung up that fast - especially without saying hi to her granddaughter herself. Oliver looked back at her and shrugged. "Savannah it's time to go see Dr. Smiley so let's put your shoes and coat on okay?" Oliver told her. Shane went into the closet and got hers and Savannah's coats and shoes. Oliver came over and relieved Shane's hands from carrying so much and helped Savannah get ready. He slipped Savannah's shoes on her tiny feet and pulled her arms into the sleeves of her coat. Then he helped Shane get her coat on and grabbed a quick kiss on her cheek. Oliver escorted his girls out the front door, buckled Savannah into her carseat, and then opened the car door for Shane.

"Well, her arm looks really good. She seems to be experiencing less pain which is exactly the progress we're looking for. We'll see you back in about three weeks to switch to the hard cast as planned. If she still needs Motrin at night she can have one dose before bed for about two more days and then we'll stop it altogether. But as of now, no more day doses should be necessary, but as always if you have any questions or concerns just give me a call."

"Thank you Dr. Smiley," replied Shane. "Savannah you say thank you to Dr. Smiley?"

"Thank you Dr. Smiley!" Savannah hugged him as he lifted her off the table.

"You're healing fast little one. You take care Savannah." Dr. Smiley smiled and nodded at Shane and Oliver as they exited the checkup room.

Oliver drove quickly to Shane's doctor's appointment next. Oliver cradled Savannah in his arms since she had fallen asleep on the car ride over. Shane was lying on the table. Shane told Oliver that it was too early to see any of the baby yet, but this appointment would confirm the pregnancy. The doctor walked back in with the test results.

"I am happy to say Mr. and Mrs. O'Toole that you are indeed pregnant. Congratulations!" Oliver grabbed Shane's hand and squeezed it as they both laughed happily. Shane got dressed and the O'Tooles had had their fair share of doctors for the day. Oliver buckled a sleeping Savannah and walked over to his wife who was waiting so that he could open the car door for her - which he always insisted that he do, no excuses. He pulled her in from the waist gently and kissed her on the side of the car. He whispered in her ear, "Tonight, just you and me. Thank you for bringing me our little butterfly. I love you." Shane smiled flirtatiously and her eyes welled up. She hugged Oliver before getting into the passenger seat.

Savannah was sound asleep and Shane and Oliver were all alone. Shane lay facing Oliver as they whispered to each other. He stroked her hair and her back as she lay admiring his muscles. She stroked his hair as she kissed him. Oliver kissed her stomach and then kissed her forehead as she laid her head on his chest, clasped her hand in his, and closed her eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**As always I don't own any of the SSD characters or anything you recognize. As requested from twitter, here is my best attempt at a mixture of ShOliver fluff and substance - or what I consider substance. Please note that according to my research (brief google searches wink wink) 6 weeks would not be long enough for an ultrasound to determine the gender of the baby. I wanted to go through Shane's first ultrasound though, which can be as early as 6 weeks according to my research. So this chapter will NOT have the gender reveal. Next chapter will. Hope you still enjoy!**

Chapter 8:

6 weeks later

Oliver lay in bed contemplating and marveling at the life he and Shane had built. His life had become infinitely better the day he married Shane. Really his life had become better that morning at the coffee cart, but everything was so different now. Now the pretty blonde that bought him a Steamboat Americano was his wife. Now they lived in his house together and they had made it a home. Well at least, _she_ had. She insisted they add some color to Oliver's place after they got married and she moved in. But what Oliver loved about his wife was that she didn't make him get rid of any of his antiques. Any rearranging - they did together. Any paint colors needed to be changed - they picked them together. Neither one of them ever hung any bead dividers without prior approval and Oliver only ever hung picture frames with her, his beautiful loving wife - Shane. That's right, she handed him the tools and he did the hammering. He doubted there would be lost mailbags of Harry Snap behind his walls and he had no intentions of finding out.

In a flash on the other side of the bed, Shane sat upright and ran to the bathroom. Oliver heard her in the bathroom and cringed, but not because he was grossed out, but out of love for his wife. He hated that this happened to her almost every morning, and sometimes multiple times throughout the night. Each time he too would get up and come into the bathroom and hold her hair back from her face. He always stood by with her mouthwash and face wash too, so she could replenish herself after her bout of morning sickness. Oliver got up and came prepared to Shane's side. She was sitting in front of the toilet trying to catch her breath. She coughed as Oliver grabbed her hair, but he was too late. Her hair had already been hit. Shane went over to the sink and washed her face and rinsed her mouth. Oliver hugged her as soon as she was finished. "It was bad this morning wasn't it?" Oliver held his wife close to him as she nodded her head into his chest. He rubbed her back as her chin rested on his shoulder. "Shane my love, you are a trooper. I'm sorry this is happening to you. I wish there was something more I could do. Here, let me prepare you a shower and then while you get cleaned up I'll make you some breakfast."

"Thank you… Oliver." Shane watched as Oliver got her a towel and a washcloth. He put a fresh bar of soap just inside the shower. He set the water to warm and kissed his wife as he left her to take her shower. Savannah was still sleeping so Oliver took advantage of the opportunity to make Shane breakfast. He scrambled her some eggs, cooked some pancakes, and cut up some fruit for her. She had to eat for two now, after all.

A few minutes later Shane came down in a clean set of pajamas and her hair laid wet against her back and shoulders. Oliver couldn't look away, she was gorgeous. If the pancakes weren't already finished, Oliver would've burned them. He was so happy to see his beautiful wife looking so refreshed. He walked over as she entered the kitchen and pulled her in for a kiss. He inhaled the scent of her fruity shampoo. "Do you feel better love?"

"Much. It was the best shower I've ever had." Shane smiled mischievously at her husband.

"Oh. Well good love. You're glowing. I don't know how anyone could look so good after a shower, but you never seize to amaze me Shane." Oliver took her hand, kissed it and led her to the table. "I took the liberty of making you breakfast." He pulled out Shane's chair for her as she looked up at him stunned.

"Oliver." Her eyes started to well up. "You didn't have to make me all this."

"Well of course not. This is a grand gesture reserved for yours truly, my love. It's the pregnant wife special. It pairs well with orange juice and is perfectly rejuvenating after a bad bout of morning sickness." Oliver smiled with pride at his pretend chef speech and Shane laughed.

"You're an excellent chef Oliver, thank you."

"I love you Shane." Oliver walked over to the cupboard and got a glass into which he poured orange juice for Shane.

"I love you so much Oliver." Oliver came up behind his wife's chair and set the orange juice down on a coaster as he stole a kiss off her cheek.

"Is it really good?" He asked.

"Oliver it wouldn't have mattered if you made me Rita's mustard frosting cookies. I was starving!" The couple laughed in unison at Shane's joke, as they both knew that was a stretch. _Mustard frosting - really?_

"No, everything is delicious Oliver. I will like anything you make because it's from you - the love of my life. Thank you." Oliver looked at his wife adoringly and then Savannah's voice came over the baby monitor.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Savannah was crying. Oliver raced upstairs and lifted her out of her crib.

"Are you okay? Does your arm hurt? Shhh, baby girl. Tell Daddy what's wrong." Oliver could see she needed a diaper change so he fixed that problem, but she was still crying. "What's wrong baby girl?"

"Monster." Savannah pointed to her closet and buried her head into Oliver's shoulder. Oliver set Savannah down on the floor.

"Stay there baby girl." Oliver opened the closet and said "Oh my, Savannah look baby girl. Mr. Brown Bear got so tired that he fell asleep too." Savannah's giant stuffed teddy bear that usually sat on a shelf was now on the closet floor. Savannah must have heard him fall and got scared. Savannah ran over to Oliver and hugged him.

"Brave Daddy." Oliver chuckled and hugged his daughter. Savannah let go of Oliver, picked up Mr. Brown Bear and kissed his nose. "Not scary," she said. She gently set him back on his shelf and Oliver closed the closet. He took her hand and they went downstairs.

"Hi mommy!" Shane had just finished her breakfast and was rinsing her plate. Oliver came over and took the plate, relieving her of the duty. Shane kissed him on the cheek and bent down and picked up Savannah.

"Good morning sweetheart. Are you okay?" Shane kissed her forehead.

"Yep. No monster. Daddy brave." Shane laughed and looked over at Oliver puzzled.

"She thought there was a monster in her closet, but it was just Mr. Brown Bear sleeping." Shane laughed, but was still a bit puzzled. She just shook her head and set Savannah in her booster seat. She cut up an extra pancake for Savannah and put it on her tray. When Savannah finished Shane wiped her face and took her upstairs to get her ready for the day. Joe was coming over to watch her while she and Oliver went to work. Then they had to leave early from work to go to her first ultrasound. She knew Oliver was playing it cool, but deep down he was so excited to see their baby. It would be too early to determine the gender, but they were _both_ excited to see their baby. After that, they had to take Savannah to get her hard cast.

Savannah was dressed in her play clothes and Shane was grabbing her purse as the doorbell rang. Joe was right on time. Shane carried Savannah downstairs and called for Oliver. "Love, are you ready to go? Your dad's here!" She didn't hear a reply before she opened the door to greet Joe.

"Hello girls. Shane you look great." Joe kissed Shane's cheek and then kissed Savannah's forehead.

"Thank you Joe," Shane replied beaming.

"My pleasure. You let me know how things go today. I know Oliver is nervous."

"Yes, we're both nervous and excited. I actually have to go find Oliver… would you mind taking Savannah?"

"That's what I'm here for. Come here little one. How is my beautiful granddaughter?" Shane handed Savannah over to Joe.

"Grandpa! No monster!" Savannah was still stuck on how her daddy was a hero.

"No monster? Well I'm glad to hear that." Joe took Savannah into the living room and sat on the floor with her as they started to stack her blocks. Savannah giggled as Joe put a block on his head. Meanwhile Shane was looking for Oliver.

"Oliver? Oliver? Love, where are you?" That's when Shane saw Oliver outside in the backyard. She opened the side door and walked out and put her arms around his neck from behind. She walked around to the front of him and put her hand on his heart and held his other hand.

"Do you want to tell me what you're doing out here - what's going on?" Shane looked at him lovingly.

"I'm just worried that I can't be a good father to another kid. What if I can't get give the baby and Savannah equal attention? What if…" Shane put her finger to Oliver's lips.

"Oliver you are the _best_ father to Savannah. She loves you. You will still be an amazing father even when the baby comes. The baby won't change who you are Oliver. The baby will make you a stronger father. It will be challenging at times, but we are a team Oliver. God has blessed us with another baby and He doesn't give us more than we can handle. Oliver, you will be a wonderful father to the baby." Shane wrapped her arms around Oliver and hugged him. Oliver returned the hug and leaned into Shane.

"I love you Shane."

"Oliver, everything is going to be okay. You were meant to be a father. I love you so much and our baby is going to love you too." Oliver pulled Shane into a kiss. Shane kissed her loving husband and as she pulled back she saw a tear rolling down his cheek. She brushed it away and kissed his face where it had fell. "Oliver?"

"I am so blessed Shane. Thank you for being my support and bringing me our little miracle. We should uh… get to work."

"Oliver I love you with all of my heart. If you ever feel insecure, promise you'll come to me."

"I promise my love." Oliver wrapped his arm around Shane and they walked back inside and snuck out the front door so they wouldn't disturb Savannah and Joe who were already playing so nicely. They were so late to work that is was almost time for Shane's ultrasound. Oliver decided to go straight there instead of work.

Shane was laying in the chair and Oliver stood by and watched as the doctor spread the gel on Shane's stomach. "Good news Mr. and Mrs. O'Toole, your baby is very healthy. We have a very strong heartbeat. Right there is the little head see?" Shane started to cry as Oliver squeezed her hand.

"It's so beautiful," Shane said through tears. Oliver was tearing up too.

"How precious," he sighed. The doctor cleaned up Shane and gave them some pictures. Then the expecting couple was left to have a moment.

"Shane, the baby is healthy! I love you so much," Oliver exclaimed to Shane with relief.

"Yes I'm so happy! I love you too Oliver." She grabbed Oliver's hand as they left the room and headed to work.

* * *

"Hi guys, how did it go?" Rita asked upon the O'Tooles arrival.

"Rita, the baby is healthy!" Shane handed Rita a picture.

"Oh Shane, how beautiful! I'm so happy for you guys!" Rita hugged Shane and then Oliver. Norman was next in line and hugs were exchanged. Norman hugged Oliver and said "Oliver, you are a great dad. The baby is very lucky."

"Thank you Norman," Oliver replied.

A few hours later the O'Toole family was in Dr. Smiley's exam room. Savannah sat on the table as Oliver held her good hand and Dr. Smiley gently removed her soft cast. "Good job sweetheart. Just one more second, stay still okay?" Dr. Smiley instructed. Savannah didn't even flinch. She was very contempt holding her daddy's hand. Shane was standing off to the side. It didn't bother her anymore that Savannah picked Oliver over her. Savannah's tiny little hand looked so cute in Oliver's big one. "Okay, now here's the fun part Savannah. You get to pick a color for your cast. What color would you like?" Dr. Smiley held up different color cast wrappings and Savannah pointed to a bright pink one. "Bright pink for a bright girl - excellent choice!" Dr. Smiley put the hard cast on and then handed Shane and Oliver colored sharpies so they could sign their daughter's cast. Oliver wrote in green, _Daddy loves you forever._ Shane chose a light purple and signed, _Here's a hug and a kiss from mommy._ Shane drew a little red heart next to her message. Savannah squealed when they had finished signing.

"So pretty! Dr. Smiley?" Savannah held up her arm as she gestured for Dr. Smiley to sign her cast too. Dr. Smiley smiled. He chose black and decided to be humorous and write in the perspective of Savannah's arm. He wrote, _Dr. Smiley said I was a great patient._ "You and your arm have been wonderful patients Savannah. We'll see you back here in three weeks and your arm will be all better!"

"Yay," Savannah shouted. "Thank you!" Shane and Oliver said thank you as well and Oliver carried Savannah and her very stylish arm out of the exam room. They dropped Savannah off at Joe's and returned to work.

* * *

As fast as the day had started the day was over and the POstables found that it was getting dark which meant it was time to leave work. Even with all the appointments, it had been a very productive day. They had managed to debulk all the bulk mail that had come in for the week. Oliver was quite pleased with their progress. Norman and Rita emerged from the lab.

"Good night guys," Rita said. She hugged Shane and waited for Norman.

"Ready to go sweetheart?" Norman asked.

"Ready," Rita replied.

"Well, goodbye Shane, Oliver. See you tomorrow."

Oliver said "Good work today guys. Thank you for covering for us so much lately. Shane and I appreciate your help with our busy lives."

"Anytime Oliver."

"Yes thank you Norman, Rita. Have a good night you two," Shane added. Norman smiled and grabbed Rita's hand as they walked out into the night.

Shane and Oliver left really late as they walked out arm in arm. Oliver pulled them gently into their driveway and opened the car door for Shane. Oliver closed her car door and pushed Shane up against the car gently. He leaned in and pressed his lips up against hers as he ran his fingers through her hair and down her back. He was in awe of his wife today. She always knew exactly what he needed to hear. She was so brave and honest. He had been longing for a moment with her all day. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off her feet as she laughed. "Oliver what's gotten into you? Put me down," Shane said as she laughed heartily. Oliver set Shane gently to the ground and pulled her into his arms as he swayed her. Shane closed her eyes in his warm embrace. She never wanted this moment to end. Oliver twirled Shane around the driveway in the glow of the streetlights and their evening dance was completed. Oliver whisked Shane into his arms and carried her inside and up the stairs where he lay her on the bed. "I'm going to check on Savannah and Joe so you can get ready for bed. I'll be right back." Oliver gave Shane a quick kiss and then headed downstairs. He found Savannah asleep on Joe's lap as he sang to her softly.

"Dad, we're back. How did everything go? Did she behave?"

"She was a perfect angel like always Oliver. We had a lot of fun. So how's the baby?"

"Healthy and strong and dad." Oliver sighed with a mix of exhaustion and relief. "We're overjoyed. I'll send you pictures tomorrow. Here, let me take Savannah upstairs to bed and tuck her in. I'll be right back to see you out dad."

"Glad to hear about the baby Oliver, but it's alright, I'll see myself out. Good night, I love you son. Tell Shane I love her too." Joe bent down and kissed Savannah's head as Oliver held her against him.

"I will dad. I love you too, good night." Oliver locked the door after his father and went to tuck Savannah in. After she was tucked comfortably in her crib, he turned her night light on and turned off the light. He returned to his room to find Shane sleeping peacefully. He kissed her cheek and her eyes fluttered open.

"Is Savannah okay?"

"Yes my love. My dad left and I tucked her in. He sends his love. Go back to sleep if you're tired love. I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't asleep yet Oliver. How could I be asleep without you by my side?" Shane kissed Oliver and then placed her head on his chest as she listened to him breathe. He stroked her hair and kissed her head. "I love you Shane. Sleep well."

"I love you more Oliver. Sweet dreams."

Oliver ended his day the same way it began, contemplating how very blessed he was to call this beautiful woman his wife and to be a father once again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Characters and familiar things are works of Martha Williamson. Minor spoiler ahead but this note is necessary - I hope everyone is okay with what I did with Savannah and then Shane's cell phone. I know Savannah is young, but I asked my mom if she thought Savannah could potentially sleep over with Norman and Rita and she said since Shane and Oliver are so close to them, that wouldn't be totally outrageous. The cell phone is maybe not realistic for a mother in Shane's situation, but I figured Rita would call the home phone in an emergency. I try to make it realistic, but at the end of the day, it's fiction right? I hope you all enjoy and feel free to be honest in the reviews! Also a shoutout to Danielle for giving me movie suggestion ideas! Thank you for the help!**

Chapter 9:

10 weeks later: (Savannah's cast is off but we're skipping over that part).

It was the night before the day of Shane's ultrasound when Shane and Oliver would finally get to know if they were having a boy or a girl. Savannah was spending the night at Norman and Rita's to have a sleepover with Xavier and Caroline. It was her first sleepover and Shane was very nervous. She knew Norman and Rita would take good care of her and she would have fun, but Savannah had never slept away from home before. Shane hoped she could sleep through the night and she wouldn't be scared. Rita was constantly sending Shane pictures and so far Savannah seemed to be having fun. Shane's favorite picture was one of Savannah giving Xavier a bear hug and Caroline rolling her eyes in the background. Shane was sitting curled up on Oliver's lap on the couch. She showed him the picture and he chuckled. "How cute," he said as he kissed Shane's cheek. Shane was in her flinky pajamas as this was her night with Oliver - alone. She had a red tank top and red pajama shorts on with lots of lace around the edges. Even though it was the middle of October and quite chilly, she had insisted. Oliver had tried to tell her she would be cold to which she responded "that's why I have you to keep me warm." He couldn't argue with that. Oliver was in a white t-shirt and plaid pajama pants - his signature sleep look that Shane loved.

Oliver was happy to see his daughter was having fun, but Rita had taken Shane's instruction "to keep her updated" a little too literally. He had had quite enough of Shane's phone buzzing in his ear. It was his night with her - alone. Oliver reached over his wife's shoulder and plucked her cell phone out of her hands. "Oliver, what are you…?"

"Shhh." Oliver cupped Shane's chin in his hand and turned her head towards him. He kissed her passionately. His hands brushed through her hair and went down her back. "I know you're worried about Savannah, but Norman and Rita have everything under control. This phone was not invited tonight. I want you all to myself." Shane smiled flirtatiously and bit her lip in anticipation for what Oliver would do next. Her phone was now in the drawer of the table next to the couch. Oliver's hands ran down Shane's arms and found her stomach with their little butterfly growing inside. He kissed her neck. Shane got up off Oliver's lap and sat down facing him to be more comfortable. Oliver leaned into Shane kissing her more and more until she fell back on the couch. When Oliver decided to take a breath and look at her, Shane couldn't help but laugh. Oliver didn't see what was so funny.

"What is so funny my love?"

"You're just so serious tonight. You're acting like my phone is a person and, I've just never seen you like this Oliver O'Toole. It's invigorating," Shane sighed. Oliver took that as his cue to once again kiss Shane. He played with her hair as he planted kisses all over her face. When they finally sat up Shane curled into the crook of Oliver's arm and rested her head on his chest. She swung her legs on top of his as he rubbed her feet. Oliver kissed her forehead.

"How about we watch a movie?" Oliver asked.

"Yes, a romantic comedy?" Shane looked at Oliver with pleading eyes. She knew he didn't particularly like rom coms, but he always watched whatever she wanted and usually ended up liking them. Besides, Shane could only take so many documentaries, and this was not the time or the right mood to to listen to some old dude's voice teach her about some famous person or the ocean. She needed to laugh and cry to give Oliver more reason to hold her close. She needed to see kissing so she could kiss her own love whenever there was a kiss on screen. Yes, that was her and Oliver's thing. Whenever there was a kiss on screen Oliver would lean over and gently place his lips on hers - them being the stars of their own love story. Sometimes they forgot when they were in the movie theater and they'd look up and all the seats around them were empty.

"Yes love, we can watch a romantic comedy. Which one do you suppose we watch?"

"How about _Breakfast at Tiffany's_?"

"Oh, 1961. Certainly." Shane laughed at her husband's surplus of knowledge. She ordered the movie and cuddled up next to Oliver once more. The only light was coming from the tv and the only noise was the quiet hum of the air conditioning and the movie. But if Shane listened closely she could Oliver breathing, and that was the sound that relaxed her the most. Oliver placed a loving hand on Shane's stomach and rubbed it.

When the movie was over Shane was fast asleep. Oliver would've carried her upstairs, but Shane's baby bump was showing now and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable or risk hurting her or their baby. Oliver knew the best way to wake her up though. He leaned in and kissed her lips softly. Shane immediately awoke and returned Oliver's passion. "Let's get you up to bed love. We have a big day tomorrow." Oliver took Shane's hand and helped her up. He was amazed at how gracefully she could move even with a big belly. He always thought she would need more help than she did, but then again _she's already been through this once before_ he thought.

Shane washed her face and brushed her teeth and Oliver did the same. They crawled into bed together with Oliver's arm around Shane. "Goodnight love, goodnight little O'Toole."

"Goodnight Oliver. I love you with all my heart."

"I love you Shane."

Shane and Oliver drifted off to sleep dreaming about life in the near future with another baby. Oliver saw the slide in Washington Park and a little boy that looked a lot like him, sliding down into his arms. He saw himself pushing a little blonde headed girl on the swings like he did Shane so she could see a blue gate. Shane saw a little animal loving boy hugging Beathazar in the DLO. She saw a little girl sitting on her lap playing with her necklace. Shane and Oliver had one of their best night sleeps that night.

The next morning Shane and Oliver were both up bright and early so they could head to the doctor's and then pick up Savannah. They had decided Savannah wouldn't really understand the process and they knew they were both going to get emotional, so they didn't want to scare her. They would tell her as soon as they picked her up. Oliver made their oatmeal and then they headed upstairs to get ready. Shane didn't even bother doing her makeup fancy. Faster than they'd ever been, the glowing O'Toole parents headed out the door.

* * *

Shane lay there in the chair and Oliver was over to the side holding her hand. The doctor smeared the gel all over Shane's stomach as the their baby slowly came into view. That's when they saw it. "Mr. and Mrs. O'Toole, congratulations. You are having a very healthy baby boy." Shane started sobbing and Oliver shed quite a few tears himself. "Oliver, he's so beautiful!" Shane sobbed.

"So beautiful and precious my love. I'm so proud of you." Oliver squeezed her hand and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. The doctor proceeded to clean Shane up and the overjoyed couple left.

* * *

Oliver rang the doorbell as he and Shane stood on the Doorman's porch. His arm was wrapped tightly around his wife. Norman answered the door. "Hi guys, come on in." He gestured for Shane and Oliver to come inside and called for Savannah. "Savannah your parents are here! She should be all packed," Norman said to Shane and Oliver.

"That's okay, no rush. I hope she was a good girl," Shane said.

"Oh of course Shane. She was fine. The three of them got along really well. I think Rita is upstairs prying Savannah off of Xavier. She doesn't want to let go." Shane and Oliver giggled. Shane called up the stairs, "Savannah honey, it's time to go. Let Xavier go." A few minutes later Rita walked down holding Savannah's hand and her backpack.

"Well she is all ready to go now," Rita said out of breath. Oliver bent down and hugged Savannah as she ran into his arms. "Hi daddy!"

"How was your sleepover sweetheart?"

"Fun!"

"Good baby girl. Now say hi to mommy silly."

"Hi mommy!" Shane kissed Savannah's head from where she was in Oliver's arms.

"I missed you baby. Did you have fun?"

"Yes mommy."

"I'm so glad sweetheart." Oliver put his free arm around his wife and led his girls to the living room couch.

"Let's all take a seat. Shane and I have some news." Rita ran away giddy with excitement, to retrieve Caroline and Xavier. Norman sat down in a chair across from the everyone was settled with Xavier sitting next to Oliver as to be by Savannah, Oliver started. "So Shane and I just got back from the doctor's and…" Oliver looked to his wife to continue.

"We're having a boy! Savannah you're going to have a baby brother!" Shane smiled at her daughter through tears.

"Really? Yay!" Savannah slipped off Oliver's lap and ran over and hugged her mommy's tummy. Shane hugged her daughter and Oliver felt his heart get all warm and fuzzy inside at the sight of his girls. Rita and Norman hugged Oliver and Shane. Congratulations were exchanged and then Xavier spoke up. "Is Vannah placing me?" The adults laughed.

"No Savannah is not replacing you. She just gets to be a big sister. I promise you'll still see her all the time," Rita said. Savannah hugged "Zavi" and the O'Toole's left. It was time to get ready for the gender reveal party. Shane's mom would be there via FaceTime.

* * *

Savannah was in a pretty yellow dress with ruffles and Shane matched. Oliver was in a navy blue short sleeve polo and khakis. He set out the food as they waited for the Doorman's and Joe to arrive. Oliver was very fond of the of the bowl of Hershey bars on the table that had the letters "H" and "E" colored in blue so the word "HE" was highlighted. He covered it up for later. As he set down the last cup for the table settings on its coaster, the doorbell rang. Shane was in the living room with Savannah talking to her mom on FaceTime already, so Oliver got the door. He greeted the Doormans and his dad. "Come on in everyone and head to the kitchen." Shane brought her mom - or her laptop into the kitchen with Savannah. She watched everyone's confused faces as Savannah stepped into a big gift box. Oliver and Shane led the countdown for Savannah to pop out. "Ten, nine, eight…."

"Zero!" Savannah popped out with two big, blue butterfly balloons. Everyone cheered at the news of a baby boy - especially Shane's mom as her loud cheers filled the room. Joe hugged Oliver and said "I know your son will be just as wonderful of a son as you are Oliver." Oliver blushed.

"Thank you dad. That means a lot. I'm going to need your help raising a little boy."

"Whatever you need, I'm there son." Oliver hugged his dad again and went to uncover the Hershey bars.

"Okay everyone gets a Hershey bar and there are burgers on the stove, along with Shane's fruit salad and a veggie tray. Enjoy. And thank you all for coming to support Shane and I as we enter the path of parenthood again and await the arrival of our little boy." Everyone clapped and grabbed their paper plates and red plastic cups to eat. Oliver walked over to Shane as she put her laptop away and hugged her. Slowly but surely though, he found his eyes meeting her eyes and then his lips met her lips. He dipped her down without losing contact of the kiss. When he released her lips they heard clapping and turned to find all their guests smirking and watching them. Shane leaned into Oliver and laughed. They had once again gotten caught up in their love and forgot they had an audience. But Shane knew Oliver wasn't embarrassed anymore - because he loved her. She knew.


	10. Chapter 10

**I don't own anything you recognize or the characters. They belong to Martha Williamson. I also don't own that rose quote. This might be the last chapter of "The Simple Things" for a while unless I get inspired. But I am hoping inspiration will strike for a new project. Obviously I will come back at some point to have Shane deliver the baby. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Shane is now six months pregnant.

Shane had just finished tucking Savannah in. It was a process now that Savannah was taking care of a butterfly. Every night before bed she had to pretend to feed it and then tuck it in. The part that took the longest was her bedtime stories to the butterfly. Savannah was very talented at telling stories, she just didn't know how to be concise. Shane had to tell her to get in bed at least three times every night. But as much as Shane didn't like the longer bedtime routine Savannah had managed to give herself, she was proud of her daughter for taking great care of the butterfly just like she and Oliver had told her to. She was very impressed that Savannah never forgot anything or tried to skip a day of taking care of it. She even remembered to give the butterfly a goodnight kiss each night. But now that Shane's belly was big, Savannah was obsessed with that too. Shane had to let Savannah sing and talk to her little brother each night as well, or she refused to go to bed. That was all over for tonight and Shane was finally able to turn off Savannah's lamp and exit the room. She was exhausted. It had been a long day at work and then Savannah was throwing tantrums all evening. Shane thought maybe she was coming down with something, but Savannah still had all her energy and when she had checked her temperature it was perfectly normal. _It must be more terrible twos,_ Shane thought. There was also something still going on with her mom. When she had FaceTimed her at the gender reveal party she could once again tell that there was something her mom wasn't telling her. Shane went into her bedroom and grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand and clicked her mom's number.

"Hey mom. How are you?"

"Hello dear. I'm fine how are you and the baby? Is Oliver well, and Savannah?"

"I'm good mom, just tired. I think this baby boy is going to be tall like Oliver. He's already huge. I'm carrying way larger than when I was pregnant with Savannah. I'm only six months and I was this size with Savannah at eight months." Shane laughed half heartedly.

"Well every pregnancy is different and every mom carries different. And I love tall men so if we can raise another Oliver, I will be very pleased. So how is your lovely husband and my granddaughter then?"

"Oliver is well, he's taking great care of me. But Savannah had a rough day today. The night was better once I got her to settle down, but all evening she wouldn't eat and she wouldn't listen. It was tantrum city over here at our house. She isn't sick, so I guess she was just having a rough day. I just don't know what triggered it. But I just finished tucking her in."

"Sorry to hear that darling. Hopefully she has a better day tomorrow. Maybe ask her if something is bothering her and see if she'll tell you. Maybe she's not feeling well, but you just can't see the symptoms yet. So anyway, what do I owe the pleasure of this call to?"

"Mom, when we called you to tell you about the baby, and then again at the gender reveal party, as well as all the times in between that I've talked to you… you've been acting strange. You can't hide anything from me mom. Spill the beans. I hope they're good beans?"

"Okay, okay. I knew if other people were telling me I was bad at hiding it, then it was only a matter of time before you asked. Yes, it's good news. So… I found a guy. His name is Chase and we've been going out now for about six months. I guess about as long as you've been pregnant." Shane wasn't surprised. She knew there was a guy by the way her mom smiled and glowed. She looked much better than she had just last year when Shane talked to her. This Chase guy was obviously having an effect on her.

"I knew it mom! But how long were you going to wait to tell me? You've been going out with this guy for six months and you didn't bother to tell me?"

"Shane sweetheart, calm down. You've been busy and have had your own big news and I didn't want to steal the spotlight. Besides it's nothing serious anway. But I promise I wasn't trying to keep it a secret."

"Mom, be for real. Six months sounds pretty serious to me. I hope he's treating you well. Chase is an unusual name."

"Oh he's a very nice man Shane. He's a biker, so Chase isn't his real name. I think his real name is Greg. But he also plays golf and he is a really good cook. He owns his own restaurant. But it's really nothing serious. We've never even been to each other's houses. We haven't even kissed yet Shane! We're taking things really slow. I just have so much fun with him, that's all."

There were so many things Shane found wrong with what her mom just described. A biker? That's not exactly safe. She doesn't really know his real name? Shane had a bunch of concerns, but she didn't have the energy to interrogate her mom tonight. "Well he sounds nice mom. I'm glad you're taking it slow. Have you talked to Alex recently? Does she know about this Chase?"

"Yes honey I told her. She's doing well at her new waitressing job. So far so good. Maybe you should call her."

"Not tonight mom, but I'll call her soon. Well, I'm going to let you go mom because I'm exhausted. I'll talk to you again soon. Love you."

"Get some rest darling. I love you too, goodnight." Shane hung up and waddled down the stairs in her slippers to go sit with Oliver before she turned in for the night. As soon as she entered the living room Oliver's face creased with worry at how exhausted she looked. He opened up space for her to sit against him in between his legs. That way his arms could wrap around her belly and he could feel his little son.

"Come here love. You've had a long day. You're an angel you know - your patience with Savannah and at work is impeccable. I told you I would've tucked her in." Shane settled herself against Oliver with her back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her belly and gently started rubbing it. Shane put her hands over his and caressed them with her thumbs. She would now direct Oliver's hands to wherever she felt a kick or any movement. It was adorable that Oliver still thought it was the coolest thing ever, even on the second child.

"That's okay Oliver. She has to learn to settle down around bedtime and she always gets so excited around you. You don't know how to say no. She would've had to play "big bad vacuum" and you would've had to be a grizzly bear. This way it was just easier."

Oliver was taken aback by what he just heard. "I can say no to her Shane." But as soon as Oliver said the words aloud, he didn't believe them either. No, it was true. He couldn't say no to his little girl. _I mean how could anyone say no to those little cheeks, and sparkly eyes?_ He thought. And those pigtails. Oliver had to admit he was a sucker for the pigtails. If Savannah had her hair done in pigtails, she was likely to get two ice cream cones, instead of one, five bedtime stories, four piggy back rides, and the list goes on and on. Luckily Shane had caught on and only put Savannah's hair in pigtails for special occasions - when it was okay for her to be spoiled and have some extra fun anyway.

Shane laughed. "It's okay Oliver, but you and I both know that you can't say no to her." Oliver sighed in defeat.

"Okay, I confess." He kissed Shane's forehead and cheek and then moved all the way down to her shoulder. Shane was distracted from her husband's lips as she felt a kick.

"Oh love, right here." Shane moved Oliver's hand to the correct spot. "Do you feel him?"

"Oh I felt him kick again!" Shane smiled and Oliver kissed her cheek. After a few more minutes of this new nightly ritual, Oliver helped Shane up to bed. They cuddled up next to each other with Oliver's arm across Shane's side.

"Oliver I called my mom earlier," Shane mumbled with her eyes closed. "She has a boyfriend. Apparently his name is Chase or Greg or something. It's a mystery, but anyway they've been going out for six months. He is a biker that likes to golf and is a good cook. He owns his own restaurant. I told you she was hiding something."

"Well that's sounds nice Shane. Sounds like she's happy."

"Yeah she's happy, I just hope he's treating her well. I hope this isn't midlife crisis clouding her brain and causing her to make poor decisions. I guess I just never pictured my mom with a biker named Chase. That's the total opposite of my buttoned up dad."

"Shane, you know she's not trying to replace your dad, but she's also not trying to erase him either. So if she likes this Chase, then I think you should be happy for her. He obviously means something to her if she's stayed with him for six months."

"You're right. I'm happy for her. But you'll still pray for her tonight right? I already have."

"And so have I, my love. Sleep well sweetheart, I love you with every fiber of my being."

"That's deep Mr. O'Toole," Shane laughed quietly. "I still love you more Oliver," Shane replied with her usual response.

* * *

The next morning Joe arrived right on time to babysit Savannah while Shane and Oliver went to work. "She had a rough day yesterday Joe. I hope she'll be good for you today," Shane informed him. She handed Savannah, who she had been holding, over to her grandpa.

"No worries Shane. I'll call you if there's any trouble. You guys have a good day at work." Oliver kissed Savannah's head and escorted Shane out the door. Joe set Savannah down on the living room floor and started tickling her with stuffed animals. She squealed with delight as he made a pink teddy bear tickle her cheek. Joe got up for a minute to get himself a glass of water. He made his way into the kitchen and just as he was about to fill his glass Savannah started to cry loudly. He set the glass down on the counter and scooped her up. "What did you do little one? Did you hurt yourself?" Savannah shook her head. Joe noticed she was rubbing her ear. "Does your ear heart?" Savannah nodded. Joe knew she had an ear infection. He made a note to remind himself to tell Oliver and Shane to take her to the doctor to possibly get some drops. In the meantime Joe carried Savannah upstairs and gave her some children's Tylenol.

Shane and Oliver returned home from work laughing. "What is so funny you two?" Joe asked. Shane could barely get it out. "Lester and Hazel got busted for some PDA in the break room by one of the supervisors. They were just kissing, but some new intern ratted them out and brought a supervisor in. Their break was cut short and they were both sent back to work. It was the funniest thing ever to see the looks on their faces when they got caught. I mean no one else in the break room cared except this new 'by the book' intern. Everyone else was ignoring 've never seen anything like it. We felt so bad. Their relationship is just starting to take off and everyone knows about it anyway. But it was still pretty funny," Shane admitted.

Joe chuckled. "Well that is quite a story. Anyway before I forget, Savannah told me her ear was hurting. I gave her some Tylenol, but I think you guys should take her to see a doctor and see if she needs some ear drops. That's probably why she was acting up yesterday Shane. She was probably in a lot of pain and since she didn't hurt herself she probably couldn't understand what was happening inside her ear. That's why she didn't tell either of you what was wrong - she couldn't explain it. I only figured it out because I saw her rubbing her ear. But hopefully the Tylenol will help. For now."

"Oh my goodness, that explains everything. Thank you so much Joe! We might never have figured it out," Shane exclaimed.

"My pleasure. Well, you all have a nice night and I'll see you tomorrow." Joe bent down and hugged Savannah as she clung onto Oliver's leg. "Bye sweetheart." Savannah waved and then replaced her grip on Oliver's leg. Shane hugged Joe and thanked him once more. Oliver just waved since he was being held in place.

"Uhh, bye dad."

"It's okay son, you don't have to hug me. Good night." Shane closed the door after her father-in-law. "Savannah, Daddy just got home from work and he has to move. Mommy can't bend down to pry you off his leg with my big belly so you need to let go, or Mommy is going to start counting down." Shane waited a moment and Savannah didn't let go. "Ten, nine…" Savannah let go of Oliver's leg and began to cry.

"Daddy!" Savannah wailed. "Hurts!" Savannah pointed to her ear. Oliver picked her up and kissed her head.

"Oh baby girl, I'm sorry it hurts. The doctor is closed now, but I'll call Dr. Smiley in the morning and we'll see if he can fit you in. How about we read about Mr. Brown Bear hmm?" Savannah nodded and buried her face into Oliver's shoulder. "Okay come on sweetheart." He looked over at Shane sympathetically. He knew she was worried about Savannah. She was exhausted and she wanted his attention too, but she would never take away from her daughter. Being a mom always came first. Savannah was hurting and she felt awful. But Oliver was such a good dad. She knew he would take care of her. In the meantime, Shane decided to take a shower.

A half hour later, Shane walked into Savannah's room and found Oliver rocking back and forth in the rocking chair with Savannah asleep on his lap. She smiled in the doorway. She whispered to Oliver, "Is she okay?"

"Yeah I distracted her with a story and she fell asleep. We put pajamas on beforehand, she'll just have to skip brushing her teeth tonight. I'm just afraid if I move, that I'll wake her up."

"No , you won't. You're very gentle and she's a deep sleeper. Go ahead and put her in her crib." Oliver slowly got up and cradled Savannah. He set her gently in her crib with Hootie and covered her up.

"Goodnight baby girl," Oliver said.

"Sweet dreams baby," Shane added. Oliver took Shane's hand and led her downstairs after turning off the light for Savannah.

"I'm going to make you a nice cup of decaffeinated tea with lemon and then I'm going to give you a foot massage Mrs. O'Toole."

"That sounds amazing Oliver." Shane kissed him at the bottom of the stairs and went to sit on the couch as Oliver made her tea. He brought over a sweet smelling, steaming mug a few minutes later. It was Shane's favorite mug - the one Oliver got her last year for her birthday. It read _"My love is like a rose divided into two, the leaves I give to others, but the rose I give to you."_

Oliver sat on the couch across from Shane as her feet stuck out. He began massaging them and then he threw in a quick tickle on her right foot. Shane spewed out tea all over Oliver as she laughed. "Oliver! What are you doing?" Oliver laughed as he got up to get some paper towels to wipe the tea off of himself and the couch. "I'm sorry I made a mess." Shane looked up at her husband apologetically.

"Love, I expected that to happen. Don't worry about it. I just wanted to surprise you and see you laugh. You needed a good laugh after your hard day." He bent down and kissed his wife several times as she set her mug down on the tv table and grabbed his face. "I love you," whispered Oliver.

"I love and adore you my sweet husband. Thank you for taking care of me. I'll try not to spit my tea out on you again."

"I promise no more tickling." Oliver smiled at his wife. He finished wiping the couch down and grabbed Shane's mug off the tv table.

"Oh Oliver, I'm not done. I didn't spit that much out," Shane laughed.

"I know love." Oliver chuckled. "I'm reheating it for you. It has to be cold by now." Shane's heart melted. Oliver always did think of everything. She felt her son kick and smiled at how blessed she was. What more could a woman ask for than a loving family and a nice hot mug of lemon tea?


End file.
